Feral
by pepsicle
Summary: One day, Steven Universe finds that he has acquired new powers, and the gems witnessed it! Expecting praise, Steven is upset to learn that his team now fears him, because the powers he received were part of a style of attack called "Feral gem", which was developed and used by the strongest and meanest gem on the home world.
1. The boy with curly hair

**Hey everyone! It's me, Pepsicle. For those of you who don't know me, I'm a very nice guy, so talk to me whenever you want, but since you're here, read my story. I'm Into TAWoG a lot, but recently, I got into Steven Universe, and I realized that it is about a billion times better than everything else! So, I thought I would try my hand at a fic, and thus, this was born. I really hope you all like it! Review, don't review, I don't care as long as you read it.**

Beach city was bustling with people, as usual. Deliveries were being made, people were going to their jobs, and kids were just enjoying the day, two in particular were a chubby little boy with big hair and a star t-shirt, and a girl with a dress on and long brown hair. They were running up a large hill together, the boy pulling the girl by her hand, they were laughing and playing together as they had every day that summer.

"Steven! Wait up!" The girl had yelled to the boy, he was now far ahead of her and she was rushing to keep up.

"C'mon Connie, we're almost there!" Steven said. He was giggling, Connie smiled to herself, she loved it when he laughed, it was so child-like, not like there wasn't anything else childlike about him, his personality was funny and crazy and he had pure intentions for everything he did.

"Steven, slow down!" Connie yelled again, she giggled to herself, Steven was so playful at times that she sometimes forgot he was a gaurdian of the world. Steven(alongside the Crystal gems) protected the earth with the power their gems gave them. Steven could make shields, which is one of the most important assets to the team, and he could heal anything, like Connie's eyes, which is why she was running up the hill with lensles glasses.

Finally, Steven slowed down and Connie caught up to him. She looked at his face, he was staring at the water below with a look of wonder, the waves were lapping up onto the rocky wall of the cliff.

"So Steven, are you ready to set up the picnic?" Connie asked him.

"Yeah." He replied with a smile. They walked over to a small little area that didn't have that many rocks on the ground, and laid down the blanket. Steven set the basket down onto the plaid sheet and sat down with it, Connie pulled out a couple of sandwiches and gave one to Seven.

"Anything interesting happen today?" Connie said as she took a bite.

"Well, Pearl yelled at Amethyst today, and they both got so mad, they pulled out their weapons, and then Garnett came in and was all like "Stop fighting, both of you." Steven said, making his voice deep and pushing his hair down over his eyes to imitate Garnett. Connie giggled.

"My day was pretty interesting to, my parents and I went down to the aquarium and looked at mantarays and cool stuff like that, and then we had this weird thing, I forgot the name, but it was basically fried scorpion on a stick." She said, Steven giggled.

"That sounds gross!" He exclaimed, he couldn't help but keep giggling. His laughter died down and the conversation had stopped, they were both left in a moment of quietness, then the sound of an explosion was heard in the distance. Connie gasped.

"What was that?" Connie asked, standing and looking in the direction the noise had come from.

"It's coming from the temple! Let's go!" Steven said, he pulled Connie in close to him and formed a bubble around them and they rolled down the hill, at the bottom, Steven popped the bubble and they started running to Steven's home, a giant magic temple in a giant mountain. Again, Steven was leading Connie by her hand, she was struggling to keep up.

"Steven, slow down! Whatever the thing is, don't you think the gems could handle it?" Connie asked.

"I wanna help! I need to be there!" Steven said. He had a look of concentration on his face, he was determined to help in the fight.

They arrived on the scene, Amethyst was buried in the sand, all but her head were under the ground, Garnett had her gloves out and was trying to attack the cause of the noise, and Pearl was attacking from the ground, Steven looked at the monster, it looked like an octopus, but it had about sixteen spear-shaped tentacles and it had two heads. It shot spikes from its back and hit Garnett, flinging her far into the air, and it hit Pearl with one of its tentacles, Garnett was falling out of the sky, fist raised toward the beast and punctured right through it, hitting its heart, But it didn't disappear.

"What? How is that possible? You got it right in the heart didn't you?" Pearl asked Garnett, who had just landed on the sand, ready to play defense.

"Yeah, i did." Garnett said, she made her gloves reappear, she then looked over at Steven and Connie, only just now noticing their presence. "Steven, take Connie into the temple, don't come out until we defeat the monster!" She said to the boy.

"But I wanna help!" He said.

"Just go inside, that's how you can help." Garnett said, a tentacle swung at her, she didn't notice it. Steven ran over to her and before she could do anything, he put a bubble around them and got hit by the swinging appendage. They flew and hot the side of the mountain, Garnett got up and helped Steven up.

"Garnett! Is Steven alright?" Pearl called over from the battle, she was pulling Amethyst up from the ground and deflecting spikes with her staff.

"Yeah, he's fine, try and find its weak point, I'll distract it, Garnett hopped over to the fight, leaving Steven and Connie to watch.

"So, what is that thing?" Connie asked.

"I don't know, but it's just like anything else we deal with. It looks kinda like an octopus to me." Steven said.

"You think so? But, an octopus only has eight arms, not sixteen, and last time I checked they only have one head." Connie said. Steven's eyes got wide. He gasped, getting a sudden realization.

"Oh my gosh, if it has sixteen arms and two heads which is double whatever an octopus had, what if it has two hearts?" Steven asked.

"You might be right! Tell the gems!" Connie said. Steven ran over to the fighters and stopped at the very edge, outside the range of battle.

"Guys!" Steven yelled.

"Steven! Get to the temple!" Pearl yelled.

"Yeah dude, it's dangerous out here." Amethyst added.

"Iknow how to beat it! If it has double body parts, what if it has two hearts?" Steven yelled back. He saw Garnett get a thinking face on, she hopped into the air and asked a command at pearl to toss her a staff. She caught it and threw it at the beast, hitting it on the opposite side. The monster yelled and blew up in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a tiny blue gem.

"Good thinking Steven!" Amethyst said, running up to him.

"Actually, it was Connie that made me think of it." Steven said, Connie blushed.

"It doesn't matter who thought of it, the point is we defeated the monster, good job team... and Connie." Garnett said, she smiled at Connie before she leapt up to the temple, followed by Pearl and Garnett.

"So, what next?" Connie asked.

"I think we left our picnic up on that hill, so, how about we go back to that?" Steven suggested. Connie nodded.

"I'll race you." Connie said, starting to run. Steven laughed as he chased after her.

**I hope you liked it guys, review... I guess... please... follow me, my story, all that, and yeah, guess that's it. Peace.**


	2. Strangers and strange lions

**Wassup guys, welcome back, i hope you liked the last chapter, because here's a new one... yup. Anyways I hope you like it.**

Steven woke up in his bed, it was early morning, around 5:00 am, he looked around his canopy, seeing nothing that would've woke him up, then he felt a weird sensation in his middle area.

"Gotta pee!" He exclaimed, he hopped out of bed and ran downstairs. He got to the bottom and panicked, he couldn't hold it in much longer, so he ran outside and jump off the balcony, landing on his feet and he ran to the side of the mountain.

"Aaaaaaaaaaa." Steven said with relief. He looked around, it was all dark because the sun hadn't risen yet. When Steven finished, he went back upstairs, but before he could get to the door, he heard a noise. He rushed back to the railing to see what it was and saw something running across the sand. It looked like a person. "Hey!" Steven shouted, he ran down the steps and chased after the person.

"Wait up!" Steven said. The figure turned and ran to the water, it hopped in and disappeared. Steven formed a bubble around himself and hopped in. The bubble illuminated the water, making it easier to find the strange figure.

He made contact with the seafloor and started walking. He looked around, trying to find the shape of something in the blackness of the ocean, he looked up and saw that the sun was starting to rise. Steven shook his head.

"Stay focused." He said to himself, he felt something hit his bubble, he turned around ready to fight and saw that it was only a fish that bumped into him. He let out a nervous giggle.

"Alright Steven, get a hold of yourself." He said trying to regain his composure. Suddenly, his bubble popped and he inhaleda bunch of water in a gasp, the last thing he saw was the shine of a gemstone and the rising Sun above.

* * *

Steven woke up on the beach and started coughing up water, three figures in front of him were coming into focus, the sun was now fully risen.

"Steven, are you okay?" Pearl asked, getting down next to him.

"What were you doing out here at night?" Amethyst asked. Steven was staring at the ocean. He was trying to think about the figure that had almost killed him.

"Steven, we asked you a question, what were you doing out here at night?" Pearl asked. Steven snapped out of his thoughts and gasped.

"SoIgotuptogopeeandthisfigurestartedrunningacrossthebeachandichaseditintotheocean." Steven said, the gems looked confused.

"How about you tell us again, but slower." Garnett said. Steven took a breath and slowed his words.

"I got up to go pee, and i couldn't make it to the bathroom so I went outside and i saw this person run across the beach, so i chased after them and they led me to the ocean, iput a bubble around me and it got popped, and yhe last thing i sae was a gem, was that one of you guys?" Steven asked. They looked at eachother

"We found you here." Amethyst said.

"Then who was it?" Steven asked.

"Whoever it was is gone now, if they come back we'll fight them. For now, we have a mission go to." Garnett said. "Steven, you stay here."

"Okay." Steven said, the gems walked steven to the house and then warped out, leaving Steven to his thoughts. He felt a small bump on his stomsch, he looked down to see the mighty paw of his pink companion, Lion.

"Hey bud." Steven said, petting Lion on the mane. Lion put his face to Stevens, staring him straight in the eyes, Lion backed up and growled at the rose quartz gem under Steven's shirt. "Lion, quit acting dumb, it's me, Steven." Steven said. Lion continued to growl and he backed away. He ran away out the door.

"Huh, Lion sure is acting strange... oh well." Steven said. He hopped off his bed, not thinking too much of what had just happened, and his morning continued.

**Alright, sorry if it aas kinda short, but still, hope you liked it. Please review and tell me what you would like to see happen, and that concludes this chapter, peace.**


	3. Feeling normal

**Welcome back guys, so I'm sorry if I kept you waiting but I've been really stressed lately, worrying about school and whatnot. But here it is, hope you like it.**

From the ocean, a figure was able to watch as the gems revived Steven. It chuckled to itself.

"My plan has succeeded in a way that was far beyond my own belief. I was able to 'modify' the boy and no one thought twice of it." It said quietly to itself. "Soon, my boy, everyone you loved and who loved you are going to turn their backs on you in fear and utter disgust, and I will be the only one to take you in, to train you and shape you in my own image. Believe me, child, you would be better off with me anyways. These softies treat you like a child, whereas i would treat you like a warrior, showing you techniques I used when I was in the prime of my youth, when I took over the home world. In time, as you fight, you will become more and more in pain. With every fight, you will lose more and more energy, and I am the only one who could help you with these things. Farewell boy, we will meet someday when your life is at an all time low. Until then, I'll be waiting." It sank down into the ocean, the gems glimpsed at the silent waves, and Steven started coughing.

*present*

Steven was on his bed reading a comic book he found under a pile of dirty laundry. He heard the door creak open downstairs, followed by the voices of his teammates. He ran downstairs to greet them.

"Hey guys! Bring me something?" Steven asked.

"Sorry Steven, we forgot. A creature got away from us and we don't know where to start searching." Pearl said.

"We'll have to try and find out where it went later, right now it's time to rest." Garnet said. She looked at Steven. "Are you alright? You look a little pale."

"I don't feel sick out anything, so, yeah." Steven said. Garnet gave him a small smile, then the gems went to the temple entrance and took turns entering their rooms. Steven stood silent for a bit, thinking of what he should do. He decided he would call Connie and see if she wanted to hang out.

"Hello?" She answered. Steven's face lit up, he loved her voice.

"Hey Connie, it's Steven. Wanna hang out?" He asked.

"Sure, I'll ask my parents, be right back." Connie said. Steven heard her set down the phone, and in a few seconds he heard voices. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but when Connie ran back she said yes.

"Alright! Where do you wanna meet?" Steven asked.

"On the hilltop with the lighthouse. I'll see you later." Connie said. She hung up and Steven ran to his loft, he needed to pack some snacks. He grabbed his cheeseburger backpack and ran to the fridge to grab some snacks. He made some sandwiches and set them in the cheese pouch. He grabbed some chips and bagged some apples and put them in the bun. He snatched a few juices from the back and ran out the door and up toward the lighthouse.

It was a couple of minutes until Connie got to the lighthouse, she seemed to be out of breath from climbing the large hill.

"Juice?" Steven asked. Connie happily took one and drank the whole thing. Steven giggled, he loved how she expresses her emotions, she just had a unique way of doing that.

"Sorry, I'm just really thirsty from that climb." Connie said, her face slightly blushing. Steven handed her another juice and giggled.

"Don't worry about it." Steven said with a huge smile. That's what Connie loved about him, his carefree nature, the way he finds a way to smile in any situation. It made her feel happy when she saw he was happy.

"Thanks." She said with a small smile, she sipped her juice and set it down next to her. Steven reached into his backpack and pulled out the sandwiches and fruit and chips and set them down.

"Alright, so, the sandwiches are baloney and cheese, the chips are barbeque and we have some Fuji Apples. Take your pick." Steven said. Connie reached for the apples. "And here we see the Connius Herbavorus in her natural habitat." Steven said softly and quietly, Connie started giggling. "That there is the noise the Connius Herbavorus uses once she's claimed something as her own." Connie couldn't stop laughing, that's another thing she adored about Steven, the way he could make her laugh. Steven giggled and grabbed the other apple.

"How do you do that?" Connie asked. Steven looked up at her, apple hanging from his mouth.

"Dew wah?" He asked, apple still in his mouth. Connie giggled.

"Make me laugh." She said between giggles. "How do you do it?" Steven shrugged, chewing on a bite from his apple.

"I don't know, you're just easy to make laugh." He said, giving her a warm smile. She smiled back and took a bite out of her apple. At that moment, everything seemed to be normal. Steven didn't have monsters to fight with and Connie was it if school, they both felt like normal kids sitting on a hill having a picnic. But it couldn't last for long, at the base of the hill, Steven saw the gems chasing a monster. He looked to Connie.

"I gotta go do this, don't go anywhere. I'll be right back." Steven said. He ran down the hill, about halfway down, he jumped and activated his bubble and rolled down at high speeds, he popped it once at the bottom and ran toward the gems. As he was running, he noticed his stomach was feeling weird. He ignored it and kept running, not knowing this stomach ache could be his downfall.

**Alright, that's it. Hope you all liked it. I'll try and get the next chapter up soon(if not soon, then just whenever i can.) Also, i was told i was spelling Garnet wrong... whoops... anyways, review and stuff. See ya.**


	4. I dream of dream visitors

**Here you go guys, another chapter. i hope you like it.**

Steven had human speed, so it was difficult keeping up with the gems, but he managed to arrive at the battle, eager to fight despite his stomach ache.

"Guys, what is that thing?" Steven asked, he had gotten a good glimpse of the monster, it was a large green monster with a reptilian-like body. It had claws that were the size of Steven, and spikes along its spine that were as long as the gems put together. It had a long snout and a thick collar. It's movement was incredible, Steven couldn't keep up with it with his eyes and the gems couldn't keep up with it physically. He heard pearl yelp, it had whacked her with its wreckingball of a tail.

"This is the monster that got away from us!" Garnet yelled, blocking an attack from its claws. Steven looked at the monster again, it was ugly when you actually were able to see it. He felt his body lurch and fly into the air, he looked up and saw Amethyst carrying him, he looked down and saw the spot where he was just standing which was now covered by massive spikes.

They landed and Amethyst ran back to join in the fight. He ran towards the creature also, trying to look for a weak point. The tail swung at him, he activated his bubble and was merely thrown back. He landed and it popped. He got to one knee, clenching his stomach. Right when he had formed his bubble, his stomach ache intensified.

'Why is my stomach hurting so bad?' Steven said, tears starting to form. The pain was unbearable, it felt as though he just got pummeled by fifty guys who all punched him square in the gut after not eating for days. His first instinct was to stand up and fight the pain, if the gems saw the way he was acting, they wouldn't let him fight.

His face turned to a look of pure concentration. He ran at the beast, emitting a battle cry, which slowly turned into a cry of pain. It seemed that with each movement, his stomach pain grew worse. Eventually he gave up and fell over crying, the gems rushing to his aid, except Garnet who was still fighting the monster.

"Steven! Are you alright?" Pearl asked. She rolled him into his back and lifted his torso.

"I... I can't move." He said, then he blacked out.

_*steven's dream*_

_"Huh?" Steven said aloud, he was in a strange place. It looked as though it were a cave, but it was much too designed and decorated to be a cave. He looked ahead of him and saw a figure standing there._

_"Hello boy. We finally meet." The figure said. Steven was studying her, she looked oddly familiar. Steven widened his eyes as the realization hit him._

_" Your the person from the other night! The one that disappeared!" Steven said. He got into a battle pose, but quickly jerked forward, grabbing his stomach. Even in his dream, the pain was unbearable._

_"Don't waste your movement boy, the modifications i did to your gem will cause you to feel incredible pain which will intensify with every power you activate and every movement you do." She said. Steven looked up at her, sweat running down his face. She was starting at him, the only thing he could see if her were her lifeless eyes._

_"W-what do you m-mean, "modifications"? Steven asked. She laughed. It didn't sound evil, it sounded normal. Steven couldn't tell if she was on his side or not._

_"Take a look for yourself." She said, she looked down at his stomach, so Steven slowly lifted his shirt, each movement causing his stomach pain to throb. He gasped at his gem, it was still pink, but it had a dark purple spot in the middle, and it seemed to be spreading. Steven's face turned angry._

_"What did you do to me!?" He yelled, quickly tightening his grip on his stomach. _

_"When the time comes boy, you will understand that this is for the best. In time, you will come to me for help, after all the ones you thought loved you will turn their backs on you in an instant. Until then, I will visit you in every dream. When you are ready to come to me, you must only say you are. I will allow you to continue on without pain from the transformation of your gem, but it will be the ridicule that will be your true pain." She said._

_Steven then woke up._

_* Real world*_

Steven woke up with a gasp. He was in his bed with a warm rag wrappedvaround his head. He took it off and looked around. He got up and went downstairs to see lion on the floor sleeping, no-one else was there, so the gems must've been out on a mission.

"Hey lion." Steven said. Lion looked up at Steven, growled and ran out of the door again.

"_but it will be the ridicule that will be your true pain." _ The words echoed in Steven's head. He did feel just, his physical pain was gone, but his heart ached seeing how his best friend was acting around him. Steven sat down in the floor, thinking that things were gonna get bad, but it could always get worse.

**Alright, that's it. Review please, tell me what you liked, didn't like, stuff like that. Who is that mysterious figure that Steven keeps hmeeting? find out next time(or after next time... but sure when the reveal will come)**


	5. Going Feral

**Whats up guys, here you go. Hope you like it. By request of a certain reviewer, I'm gonna try and make these as long as i can... get ready for some crappy chapters. I'm not good at making super long chapters, i usually just write until it's over a thousand words, but i can see how that wouldn't be enough, so, starting now, I'll make them... eh, let's say 2000 words and above(just to start)**

Steven was wandering aimlessly, he was thinking about his dream and the message it told him. He had thought about the possibility that maybe it was just a nightmare, but it couldn't have been. It was too real to have been as simple as a nightmare, the sights, the feelings, and her voice, they all seemed to be a real experience.

"_But it will be the ridicule that will be your true pain_"

He remembered the cold voice of the woman. Steven kept mulling the message over in his head... What would cause the ridicule? How would this begin? He didn't have the slightest clue, he ran his fingers through his tangled hair. He hated it when he couldn't figure out his own problems, in any other situation he would've gone to the gems. In this situation though, he couldn't. They would either say it was nothing or they would overreact and never leave him alone, and he couldn't begin to deal with either situation.

He looked up from the street and saw the big doughnut coming into view. He started smiling, maybe visiting with his friends would cheer him up. He started at a running pace. He got to the doors and looked through them to see Lars and Sadie in what seemed like a heated argument. His smile weakened, but he walked through the door nonetheless.

"I just wish you would've been a little more respectful when you met my parents! You showed up and said 'Yo' to my mom and highfived my dad when he tried to shake your hand!" Sadie shouted. Lars returned with a defensive tone.

"Your mom just seemed that cool, and your dad held his hand out to me! What was I supposed to do?!"

"Um...Hey guys..." Steven said, cautiously approaching the counter.

"Oh, hey Steven." Sadie said, she sounded a little calmer. Lars was glaring at her and Seven was sure Sadie was giving him the finger under the counter. "What would you like today?" Steven looked at the counter, then back up to her.

"Is, uh, Is this a bad time?" Steven asked, he looked to Lars who was making a quick getaway to the back room.

"No, it's fine." She said, she noticed that there was a weird look on his face. "Is there something on your mind?" She asked. Steven had a small debate with himself, should he tell Sadie? He trusted her more than anyone, he could come to her for anything. But then again, maybe this is what starts the whole 'ridicule' thing. By telling her, she'll think he's insane and never talk to him.

"Nope, everything's fine." He said, he even threw in a fake smile. She seemed to buy it, because he walked out of there unquestioned. But there he was, back on the road. The thoughts running through his mind were beginning to give him a headache.

He stopped. He heard the familiar chime of his phone. He pulled it out and saw that it was Connie that was calling him.

"Hey." He said answering his phone. She was humming, he smiled. She sounded really happy.

"Guess what Steven? I'm getting straight A's and my parents said I can invite you over to celebrate." Connie said. This didn't sound too much like a big deal, but Steven had only been to Connie's house only a few times.

"Sweet, when can I come over?" Steven asked, he was basically jumping up and down. For that moment, he had forgotten about his warning.

"As soon as possible!" She sounded almost as excited as he was. "Hurry." She said, she hung up. He couldn't stop smiling, he ran home as quick as his legs would carry him.

He got to the temple and nearly broke down his door.

"Guys! I need a favor!" He yelled, running into the large living room.

"What is it Steven?" Pearl asked. She was sitting beside Amethyst, they were playing a board game.

"Can you guys take me to Connie's?" He asked them.

"We'd love to Steven, but neither of us can drive. Why don't you try asking Greg?" Pearl said. Steven saw Amethyst changing pieces around on the board, he almost laughed.

"Thanks anyways Pearl." He said before running out of his house and over to the carwash.

His dad was sitting in his chair with a soda in his hand. He hadn't noticed him yet, so he almost dropped it when Steven came stomping up.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!" Steven said to the balding man.

"I'm right here son, you don't need to shout." He said rubbing his ear. "What is it?"

"Connie invited me over! Can you take me?" Greg looked around, the lot was empty and he hadn't gotten business that entire day.

"Yeah, it's not like i have anything better to do." He stood up with a groan, his age want helping him stand any better. They walked over to the van and hopped in. Steven was happy, he hadn't had a chance to apologize to Connie for ditching her, and this would take his mind off of his situation.

"So, what's the occasion?" Greg asked. He could see the big smile on his son's face.

"Her parent's are letting her have me over because of her grades, and this is like, the fourth time I've ever been there." Steven said. He saw a small smile on his dad's face.

"I think it's for a different reason." He said, his smile widening.

"What reason?" Steven asked catching on to Greg's mischievous tone.

"I'm just saying, maybe it's cause you like her." He replied. Steven's face turned a deep shade of red.

"No I don't... I-I'm just glad to see her. I ditched her the other day to fight a monster and didn't get to go back is all... I'm just glad I get to apologize." Steven said.

"No need to get defensive, I'm just teasing." He said, he giggled a little. Steven was still red, but he smiled. He enjoyed these moments with his dad, it made him feel like a normal kid who didn't fight monsters and protect the world daily. He sighed, at times, he wished he really could be normal. He wanted so bad to be a regular person so that his loved ones would be protected, or at least safe from harm. He shook his head. He didn't want to think like this.

"Hello Steven, come on in." Connie's mother said. Steven waved goodbye to his dad and walked in.

"Hi Dr. Maheswaren, how're you?" He asked walking in. The interior of the home was friendly and welcoming, it was modern styled and it was neat.

"I'm well Steven, Connie is in her room." She said. He looked up the stairs.

"Thank you." He said, he then proceeded up the steps and into Connie's room. He knocked and waited for her to open the door. It swung open to reveal Connie in her overalls and a t-shirt.

"Hey Steven." She smiled at him and stepped aside. He walked in and say on her bed. He looked around and saw her collection of stuffed animals in the corner of the room, her closet on the opposite wall, and her tv next to her closet. It wasn't very messy, there were a few articles of clothing strewn across the floor, but that was it.

"So how goes the gem stuff?" Connie asked, she sat down next to Steven.

"It's been quiet lately. Actually, it's pretty boring." He replied.

"I mean, to me, any day being like you guys would be super exciting." Connie said, a small smile on her face.

"You'd think so. You get used to it after a while." Steven said. He then remembered that they were there to celebrate, not to talk about him. "C'mon, let's go do something." He said grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet.

"Where are we going?" Connie asked while being led down the stairs.

"Out." Was Steven's reply. Connie told her mom they were leaving and they were outside walking. They had no intentional destination in mind, they would stop here and there but that was all they could do, Steven didn't know the layout of the town and Connie didn't like exploring without him.

They eventually found their way to a park where they sat on a bench and chatted. It was just small talk, nothing too major, but Connie seemed to notice that Steven was bothered by something.

"Steven, is something wrong?" Connie asked. Steven was taken aback by the question, he had forgotten completely about his dream. He wasn't sure if he was ready to share anything with her yet.

"No, nothing's wrong. Why?" Steven asked.

"I know when something's bothering you, tell me what's wrong." She replied. Steven was at war with himself, if he told her he would feel so much better but she might think he's a freak. But if he refrains, then he would be bottling up his emotions which isn't very good. His life had become so stressful lately.

"Alright, I-" He was cut off, there was a small boom not too far from them. It sounded bad. They looked at where the noise had come from and saw something storming through the grass. It was a fairly big red bird looking monster, it had a wingspan that was almost as big as four of the benches they were sitting on put together. It's head was pointed and its beak was small. proportionally, it's body was tiny.

Steven was looking around for the gems, but he couldn't see them anywhere, they must've been on their way.

"Where are the gems?" Connie asked. She too was looking around.

"They're probably on their way, I'll try and hold it off. Stay back." Steven said to Connie. He then ran at the monster, ready to fight. He leapt at it, but it whipped him away with its tail. He landed on his back, Connie was still a safe distance away. He stood up again and ran at the monster, but with no avail. He was swatted by its wing.

"Steven! Are you alright?" Steven heard Garnet's voice. He looked around and spotted the gems running toward him.

"Yeah, let's just beat him." Steven said standing up. They all ran toward the beast, but it leapt up and dodged at the last second. They collided with one another and fell to the ground. Steven looked up and saw the bird diving toward them. He closed his eyes and activated his bubble, it formed around them all and repelled the bird. Pearl and Amethyst awaited an order from Garnet, who was already trying to attack the beast.

"What are we going to do Garnet?" Pearl asked. Garnet was slapped down to the ground.

"Just attack and hope you hit it." Garnet said. They leapt to the monster once more, but instead of attacking, it dove. It wasn't headed for Steven... but for Connie. It seemed to have spotted her in her hiding place. The Gems looked down from the air, tracing its path. Steven's eyes got wide.

It happened in an instant, Steven felt his heartbeat increase, his pupils dilated which made his vision increase and his movement faster, he ran forward. Everything was in slow motion, the bird diving from the air, the gems in mid-gasp, the people surrounding the fight, and the heartbreaking terrified look on Connie's face.

The adrenaline in Steven's system multiplied by a hundred-fold, his speed increased along with this. In what seemed like minutes to him but a millisecond to everyone else, he reached Connie and pushed her aside, he stopped, look up, and punched the bird in its wide open beak, making it explode in a cloud of smoke. His senses returned to normal and everything went back to its normal speed. His fist was still in the air, Connie was on the ground, the crowd was cheering, and the gems were standing a good distance away, mouths agape and horrified looks on their faces.

**So, that's all. I just wanna say,2217 words! Crazy, right? tell me if you liked the longer chapter, it if it was kinda weird this way or whatever. Review and all that, good or bad comments, i really don't care, and have a nice day/night.**


	6. why questions with no answers

**Alright, so... Yeah. I'm really happy, last chapter had some great feedback so I'm definitely doing it again. And I saw a review from someone saying 'speed it up a little'(with positive words i might add) because peeps are dying to know who the stalker is and what going 'feral' means... I mean this nicely... it's kinda the point of writing a story to buildup as much as you can...(plus i was gonna reveal all that in this chapter anyways so... yip) hope you all enjoy, sorry reviewer for calling you out like this, but I couldn't pm you(you're a guest) and ENJOY!**

**~'why' questions with no answers~**

Steven had been given the most ultimate of silent treatments in the history of the game. The Gems made him say goodbye to Connie and took him home, leaving the dumbfounded crowd behind. He had kept asking them what was wrong but they would just ignore him, they had the weirdest looks on their faces. Like they genuinely feared what Steven had done, but what had he done wrong? He discovered a new power, they should be celebrating! So... why weren't they? Lots of 'Why' questions ran through Steven's mind, all going unanswered.

He looked up at Garnet who was carrying him. To see her stare so coldly ahead, not even acknowledging his presence in her arms, Steven now knew the true feeling of sadness and pain. He looked over at Amethyst with a weak smile, half expecting her to smile her signature smile right back. He did not receive the grin, but did get a look of pure sorrow and fright. His smile quickly faded, he looked down at his hands.

'What did I do?' He thought to himself. He sighed. 'I bet mom could've explained it to me.' He looked over at Pearl but quickly looked away, he was met with a face full of tears and sadness.

It had seemed as though none of the gems were going to be talking to him anytime soon. And when they got to the temple, he didn't feel much like talking to them. He went straight up to his room and they all went to theirs. He sat down on his bed, arms crossed. He was thinking the situation over. He discovered a new ability... that, he could understand. Because of his ability the gems aren't talking to him, that's where he got lost. As long as he could remember, the gems have wanted him to 'find his powers' and 'learn and develop his capabilities'.

He groaned and fell over onto his covers. He brought his fist in front of his face and started studying it. What on Earth was that power anyways? He closed his eyes, he could remember the feeling. He was lighter than air, his fists heavy as stone but light like a feather. His legs were jittery and his eyes were sensitive to every movement in the vicinity... it had felt amazing, and yet it was treated like the worst thing humanly possible.

He punched his matress and rolled over onto his back. Before long, he found himself dozing off.

_ Steven's dream_

_Steven's eyes opened. He was in the same place as before, the cave, the carvings, everything was exactly the same. He looked around and realized that he was sitting. Not only was he sitting, but he was sitting be someone. It was the save girl, wearing her hooded cloak that covered everything._

_"Have you come around to my offer yet?" She asked him._

_"No, who are you?" Steven asked, scooting away a little. He could feel her cold gaze fixed on him, but he also sensed... sympathy. He could tell she understood him, his feelings, his everything._

_"My identity will soon be revealed Steven, all you must do is wake and the answer will be provided to you. Before that, however, I have noticed that your "family" has not had the nicest feeling toward you, am I right?" She replied. Steven hung his head, he couldn't say no because she was right. He nodded._

_"Why are they treating me like this?" He asked her, he still didn't trust her, but he felt that he could say anything to her and he wouldn't be judged. He looked up at her face, hidden by the shadow of her cloak._

_"Once again, that is to be revealed to you shortly my boy. My offer still stands you know, if you want to leave them to hone your new abilities you need only to ask." She said. Steven looked ahead, he was having serious thoughts about this, was he really going to leave his long entrusted team for her?_

_"I don't know if I should." Steven said. He almost heard the smile creep across her face._

_"Need some persuasion, eh? Then wake up and see what your "family" speaks of you at this moment." She said. Not a second after she said this, Steven woke up and heard frantic whispers._

*out of the dream*

"Well Pearl?" He could faintly hear Garnet ask Pearl who was walking down his steps.

"It's exactly as we feared. His gem has an impurity." Pearl said, he heard Amethyst gasp and Garnet give a small hum of anger.

Steven snuck out of his bed and crawled toward the edge. He could see the three of them directly below him.

"Is it as we thought?" Garnet asked. Steven's hand traced it's way to his gem.

"Yes... It is the gem belonging to Onyx-Agate." Pearl said. Steven's eyes widened, that was the women who was stalking him. He noticed the gems' reactions to the name, why were they so severe? Who was Onyx-Agate that made the three of the strongest people he knew quiver with fury and fear?

"And I'm assuming that her powers were absorbed by him?" Garnet asked, Pearl nodded.

"Maybe it's not so bad." Amethyst tried. "You know? If Steven doesn't find out about her and doesn't become evil, then he could be a huge asset to the team." Steven thought about her words... "Become evil".

"No. We cannot risk it. As much as we hate to admit it, the most powerful gem in the galaxy has corrupt Steven's gem and in turn might corrupt him. If he loses control over the power, we could be in serious trouble." Garnet said, Steven didn't like where this was headed.

"Garnet, you couldn't possibly mean-" Pearl was interrupted by Garnet.

"I'm sorry Pearl. It has to be done." Steven knew what she meant, the color drained from his face as he started standing up and backing up toward his window. "It's him, or it's us." Steven was sliding his window open now, trying to be as quiet as humanly possible. He stuck one foot out, then the other. "We have to kill Steven." Garnet finished.

Steven already knew what she was going to say, but it hit him harder than expected. He dropped, falling down toward the land below him and activating his bubble to soften his fall. As soon as his feet touched the ground he started running, no destination to go.

The knowledge that his team would resort to killing him rather than try to deal with the problem first was enough. The day's worth of silence over something as small as what it was was enough.

"My offer still stands you know, if you want to leave them to hone your new abilities, you need only to ask." He didn't have an answer then, but this definitely changed his thoughts. Evil or not, this "Onyx-Agate" seemed like a much better person to be with than his "team". Did he want to leave? The answer is yes. He did.

With no destination, Steven just ran until his legs wouldn't carry him any further. He sat to rest, the gems probably knew he was gone by now. It would only be a matter of minutes until they found him, which meant he needed to leave his city entirely. There was no time to gather supplies, he just walked the dark streets until he reached the city limit. He looked at the sign separating him from his home and his new life. He stepped across, now officially on the run from his most trusted friends. He knew they were looking out for the safety of everyone including himself, but he couldn't comprehend the fact that they decided to kill him rather than try to solve his dilemma. He lifted up his shirt to look at his gem, it had a dark purple spot right in the middle. He didn't know if it was permanent or not, but he wanted to try and find another solution. Death was his plan A, whoever this Onyx-Agate was, she was bound to have the answer. And he planned on learning it.

**Alright, not quite as big as last chapter, but still longer than the past ones. this was an explanation chapter, you know? a "what happened after" sorta thing. If you want to know more about Onyx-Agate,(now that she's been revealed) Check out her bio in my profile. A couple more things, If you have ideas, pm them to me. I need ideas, any are acceptable. Second, if any of you are good at drawing, could you draw me a cover image for this? If you do, send it to my friend on deviantart(his name is Trickster37)(I would have you send it to me... but I don't have one...) That's all, please review and such and have a nice day/night.**


	7. The plan revealed and a final goodbye

**Hey guys, we're back. Last chapter left some people confused, but this chapter will clear it up. If you read Onyx-Agate's bio(specifically her weapons), you may have already figured out her plan and how she did it, if not, then you'll find out in this hapter. hope you like it.**

**The plan revealed and a final goodbye **

Onyx-Agate was giggling to herself. She was able to see the whole thing. She was watching through that little piece of her gem she put into Steven's.

"This is working out a lot better than I thought." She said. She had a small evil smile on her face. "Right now, the gems are off taking care of a monster I sent, and they have no idea that Steven just ran away from home." She turned to look at her pet. "And do you know how I did it?" She said to it. It growled at her. "Of course you don't." She turned to monitor Steven again. "All it took was one ounce of hallucination gas. I didn't see what he saw, but it must've been as bad as I had anticipated." Her pet growled at her again. "That was my plan. I have to go to their home and erase all signs of his escape." Another growl was heard. "No, I won't be caught. And even if I was to be discovered, I could kill each of them." Her pet brushed up against her leg.

It was a weird thing, it had a rabbit shape but it had spikes along his spine and to the end of its long tail. It had wide and short ears that stood half a foot off of its head.

"I shall miss you when I'm away too Erendus." She patted its head and walked out of the entrance of her hideout. She looked around, she was in a barren landscape. It was a desert, far as the eye can see. She took aim for her destination and leapt into the air toward the temple.

Meanwhile, Steven was still going. He couldn't run because of a cramp he had, but he had kept a steady speed walking pace for the last mile. He had left at around one in the morning, it was about 1:30 by now. He was getting tired, sweat was running down his face despite the cold temperature of the morning air. He stopped to catch his breath, he had his eyes closed with his hands on his knees. He opened them, he could see his breath. He quickly closed them due to the sweat getting into his eyes.

"Man, I'm gonna die of exhaustion." Steven said to himself. He looked up, he was walking along a road. The only problem was he didn't know where it was taking him. He could see lights in the distance, but they looked far away. He collapsed into a sitting position. "I think this is far enough." He said, he scooted to the side of the road and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Onyx-Agate was still on her way to the temple. She had been putting her plan together, working out all the possibilities. She seemed confident with her plan. She was going to put a thin veil of her hallucination gas over the entrance of the home and some on the inside. If the plan works accordingly, the gas should cause them to think that Steven is there while he's actually with her.

She looked down below her, she saw a tiny spec on a path she was passing over. She smiled, it was a sleeping Steven.

'Maybe I'll pick him up on the way back.' She thought to herself. Her speed when jumping was much faster than walking speed. What took Steven half an hour to get that far, it only took her five minutes to get back. In no time at all, she stood face to face with the front door. She turned the door knob slowly and pushed the door open.

She poked her head in to see if the coast was clear, and it was. She stepped into the house, it seemed weird... the atmosphere was warm, welcoming. It threw her off a bit, but her mission was still at hand.

She walked up the steps to Steven's loft and looked around, she noticed the open window and closed it, she fixed the covers on the bed, and picked up a couple of stray toys. She walked back down the steps and into the living room, soaking in the friendly atmosphere.

"Ugh." She groaned. "It makes me sick." She turned, taking a step toward the door. A sharp chime rang in her ears, a flash of blue could be seen on the dark walls. She jumped up the steps back into Steven's room, hiding from the possible enemies. She peaked down from the loft, hearing three sets of footsteps.

"It wasn't my fault the thing got away!" Amethyst yelled.

"Don't you dare try to blame us! It was coming right for you and you dodged it instead of attacking it!" Pearl yelled back. Onyx-Agate was still peaking out at them, she forgot about the warp pad. She didn't have time to set her traps either, so she was going to have to gas them directly.

She closed her eyes and put herself in a meditative state, taking deep breaths every now and then. She opened her eyes, revealing slits where her pupils used to be. In an instant, she was standing in front of the trio. She released the gas and ran out of the door, letting the gas trail behind her. It formed into a dome around the house that was only visible to her eye. She smiled as she jumped into the air, pleased with her success. Meanwhile, the gems had no idea if what had just happened. In their heads, 'Steven' was running down from his room to greet them.

"And now, Steven is left to me. She looked down below her to once again see the unconscious Steven. She thrust herself toward the ground, landing a couple of feet away from the exhausted boy. "Look at you, so much potential, yet so weak in your current state. I will help you this one time, this one time only. After this, you will find me on your own. You will trek to my base on your own time. In the meantime, make sure to remember who the real enemy is." She was leaning over his body to see the current state he was in.

Steven could only open his eyes a tiny bit. He saw a woman standing over him, he didn't recognise her though. She had dark purple skin and black hair. Her eyes were welcoming, but at the same time they were cold and menacing. She was wearing a light purple unitard with a white-purple stripe through the middle. He wanted to smile at her, but he was much too tired. His eyes closed back up and he passed out.

************************************************************"St-n! Ste-e-! Steven!" Steven heard a voice, he recognized it, but he couldn't put a face to it. "Steven!" It said more forcefully. It was Connie! He opened his eyes with a gasp and sat up, analyzing his surroundings. He was in Connie's neighborhood. He put his hands to his face, sighing into his palms. He let out a small yelp, something had hit him from the side.

"Steven! Thank goodness!" Connie shouted, she had thrown herself into his side, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank goodness you're okay! I just saw you on this bench and I didn't know what to think! What are you doing here?" She asked. Steven didn't want to tell her what really happened, he knew she would worry and maybe try to confront the gems. If that were to happen, she might get hurt. He couldn't live with the guilt of that.

"I'm on a... uh... a special mission." Steven said. The look on Connie's face told him she wasn't buying it. "No, really!" He said, trying to convince her. "The gems said that maybe I'm old enough to go on my own mission, so they gave me an easy one. You know, just to see what I can do." Her face lightened up a bit.

"That's great Steven! What were you doing here sleeping?" Connie asked.

"I was... taking a nap. Yeah, I was pretty tired and I thought I'd rest for a bit." He answered.

"Well, I guess you'd better get back to it." She said with a smile. He gave her a small smile, he knew fully well that this was probably the last time he was ever going to see her. He just couldn't risk staying in one spot too long. Her eyes were looking into his, sparkling brighter than his own gem. His smile faltered a little.

"Connie... this is probably the last time I'm going to see you in a while." Steven started, Connie's expression showed that she was confused. "I... I just can't leave knowing you don't know my true feelings."

"Okay." She said, unsure of what kind of feeling he was talking about. He looked her in the eyes, wanting desperately to tell her that he liked her, maybe even loved her. That he was going away for a loooong time and he wouldn't see her in that time.

"I love... I... love..." He couldn't say it, he sighed. "I love what you did with your hair." He chickened out. He mentally face palmed.

"Thanks." She said with a small smile. He gave a weak smile to her and hopped off the bench.

"I have to get going. Gem stuff, ya know?" Steven said. Connie and him exchanged goodbyes, and Steven was off. He didn't know why he was going the way he was going. It just felt like the thing to do.

His memory wandered back to the woman he saw, He still hadn't decided if it were a dream or a memory. It seemed real, but then again. He had been having some weird dreams lately. But it could just as easily had been real. He just learned that his most trusted friends wanted to kill him, meeting strange women after hiking into the middle of nowhere wasn't completely ridiculous.

He sighed, he was leaving everything behind that he loved. His friends, his family, his fry bits, it was truly sad. But it couldn't have been sadder than knowing that his last words to his best friend were goodbye, the word with indefinite meanings. None of which opening a door for another hello.

**So, what did you think? Steven finally left beach city, said his goodbyes, questions were answered, misunderstandings are understandable, you name it. Onyx-Agate and Steven have finally met, and yeah. review, good or bad thoughts. Whatever. hope you liked it. see ya next time.**


	8. Maybes and What ifs

**What's up guys! Hope you liked the last chapter, cause here comes another one.**

**-Maybes and What ifs- **

If there was a God in the sky, it was apparent that he hated the Earth, maybe just Steven in particular. The sun was scorching, the air was dry, the ground beneath Steven's aching feet was boiling his sandals. Sweat was dripping down his face in torrents. He had his shirt tied around his forehead by the sleeves, the torso of it trailing down his back. He rolled the legs of his pants up to make shorts.

"Augh! My everything hurts!" Steven groaned. He had been walking for five hours now. He was in the absolute middle of fiery nowhere. No animal could be seen, they were all off hiding somewhere in little, shady hideouts. Steven looked behind him, nothing. To his left and his right, nothing. This path seemed to be taking him nowhere, so why was he following it? A feeling in his gut told him that there was something out here, a place for refuge, a place where he wouldn't be treated with fear.

He sighed, he couldn't comprehend his life in that moment, he was on the run from his most trusted companions, melting in an unbearable heat, and heading towards nothing. Was it his fault? No. Did the gems try to help him before resorting to murder? No. So why did he feel so bad? None of this was his fault, he didn't ask to acquire this ability that was feared by not only gems, but by every other race. He remembered when he first used his ability, it was like he was invincible, nothing could hurt him or the one he wanted to protect. The sensation, he could feel every nerve, muscle, and atom trembling inside his body, all ready to take orders from his newly alert brain.

The gems couldn't understand, couldn't possibly begin to comprehend the feeling. Maybe that's why they fear the power so much, they didn't know what it was, how it worked, or what it felt like. If they had the power, maybe they would begin to see how quickly they misjudged it.

Steven's brain hurt, never before had he had to do this much thinking. All these "maybes" and "what ifs" were starting to mess with his head. Still, despite the heat, despite his confusion, despite the reading headache he had, he trekked on. No destination in sight, the best he could do was keep walking.

*with Onyx-Agate*

The gems were in the house, trying as hard as they could to find a cure for Steven, unaware that the "Steven" they came home to wasn't even real. Not only did they not know he wasn't real, they would never find out. The hallucination gas was powerful with only a couple of minuscule faults. It would eventually ware off, but not for many, many years. The other was that the gas could be cleared by a gigantic suction of air or a massive flood. Basically, Onyx-Agate's plan was could see it all, Steven's journey and the gems' hard work at finding a cure. She was more interested in Seven than she was in the gems. She could feel the young boy's feelings, hear his thoughts. She knew how confused and unsure he was about all of this. She could see the doubt plastered on the surface of his mind, constantly telling him there was nothing where he was headed. Still, he kept going.

She smiled to herself, the resilience he had was admirable, the determination was beyond that. He was getting close, about one more mile to go before he could start his training. She could see each piece of her plan falling into place, only one thing was getting in her way. She turned back to the gems, the possible cause of her downfall. She knew that alone she could take on the gems, but she also knew they, like Steven, had a level of resilience that was only surpassed by their determination. They couldn't die, so each time she defeated them they would just keep coming back. The only resort was to shatter their gems, and what better way to do that than with the one they love most?

It was a sick plan, getting Steven to kill the gems, but she knew that only he could do it. He was a vital part of her plan to conquer the earth, it would take much more time with the weakened state she was in. If she got a younger person with great stamina, a lot of untapped potential, and a looming grudge, she would be unstoppable. If Steven succeeds in killing the gems there would be no other obstacle. With a new apprentice, she could once again strike fear into every living thing at just the sound of her name.

She shivered with excitement, ignoring the pain exerting from her cracked gem. She didn't care about that, once Steven got there she could simply use his healing powers and fix it.

The training would be brutal, she would have to teach him how to use the powers given to him by her, not only that, he would have to put his body through great strain to gain the physique he needed to withstand the feral state for a long amount of time. She would have to teach him how to fight in hand to hand combat, how to use his natural weapon as a weapon, not just as a shield. She would teach him many more things that would help him annihilate the gems.

She observed the monitor, less than half a mile away. She reached over to scratch the head of Erendus.

"Soon, many years of waiting will not end in vain. Everyone will know the name Onyx-Agate, the ones who have witnessed my terror will double over in fear. All who thought they were safe from my wrath will be sick with the knowledge that they will forever be unsafe. Anyone that stands in my way will be obliterated off of whatever surface they stand, and the key to all of that is a mere fifty yards away." Onyx-Agate had been ranting, assuring herself that her future was set. She stared at the monitor, smile plastered on her face. "Come, Erendus, let's welcome our guest. Be nice, okay?" She received a small grunt from her sleepy pet. She turned toward the door, the mighty oak door that separates her from her destiny. She opened them and took a step out into the blinding sunlight and the relentless heat that accompanied it.

*With Steven*

Steven was about to give up. He wanted to collapse right there, never to move again. Something time him to keep moving, that he was so close to his destination. A small smile appeared on his exhausted face. There it was. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew that his destination was right there. About fifty yards away stood a giant rock structure, and in front of it stood a familiar woman. It was the woman he had seen earlier, the one he saw just before he passed out and woke up on the bench with Connie. He limped a couple more feet then started at a slow jog. His journey was finally over. He had reached his destination.

There he was, jogging up to her with a great big smile on his face. Onyx-Agate put on a smile.

"Hello Steven, we meet at last." She said, she extended her and to the boy who had just collapsed into her. She smiled she at his sleeping body. "You've done good Steven." She said in a friendly tone. "You deserve a nice rest. Come on in." She said, she picked him up and cradled him, his hands tucked in close to his body, and his head resting against her chest. She carried him inside and laid him down on a soft bed of leaves. She examined him while he slept. She let it a nice-sounding giggle. "Sleep well Steven. When you wake up, you will start your rigorous training." She said. She walked over to her own bed and sat down, watching the sleeping boy who, despite his immense levels of doubt, completed his journey.

Onyx-Agate knew that she would have to eventually strengthen the anger he felt toward the gems, even if he felt he didn't have those feelings toward them. She would have to find a way to make sure Steven stayed afraid of them, and make sure she was the only one he could trust. Overall, she would have to make sure Steven was prepared to kill his best friends.

**That's all for this chapter. Yay! Steven's journey had finally ended, now we can get to the exciting part. We got to see a little more of Onyx-Agate's plan, maybe even saw some foreshadowing. Hope you liked it, review and stuff. see ya**


	9. Not that bad

**Yo! Welcome back, remember to review and stuff. Hope you like it!**

**Not thatbad **

Steven opened his eyes, he was in a familiar place. He was staring up at a dark, rocky ceiling, trying to remember where he was and how he got here. He sat up, propping himself up by his elbows.

"Hello?" He said, not sure if he was going to get a response.

"Hi Steven." A voice said from behind him. He rolled over onto his stomach to see a woman sitting not too far from him. Her voice sounded like the one from his dreams, her appearance was one that he had seen twice before.

"You're-" He started to say.

"Yes, I'm Onyx-Agate, I've been the one you have been speaking with. It's wonderful to finally meet you." She said.

"It's...nice to meet you too?" Steven said, he didn't know what to say; he hasn't been thinking about this ad much as she has.

"I've been anticipating this moment since the day I met your mother." She said, Steven was confused.

"You knew my mom?" He asked. She let out a warm giggle.

"Boy did I, she was the greatest warrior I've ever known. She fought with passion for what she believed in. She was a great strategist as well; if her strength failed her, her strategies would win her battles." She reminisced.

"So...You fought her?" Steven asked.

"Hardly. I never fought unless the situation called for it, I merely observed." She said, a thoughtful look ceeped across her face. "War, battles, fighting. They're all such ugly words, as is the subject of the name. War is gruesome; two armies march onto a discussed fighting plane to slaughter each other. No matter the outcome, whoever wins, there are deaths on both sides. What's the point of fighting in one? I would never, no. I arrange an army, negotiate the area, and I watch for the outcome. If my army happens to win, they do. If they don't, So be it." Steven was more confused than ever.

"So, you've never fought in a real fight before. I heard the gems talking about you, if you've never fought then why are they so scared of you?" Steven asked.

"Actually, I was feared by every living thing in the galaxy. They feared me because of my strategies. Much like your mother, I relied more on my brain than my actual abilities. With just my thinking processes, I could gather up a team of four and conquer a planet in two earth days. My accomplishments were known throughout the galaxy, at first no one thought too much of it. Back then, planets were taken over constantly; the attacker would challenge the leader of whatever planet they wanted to conquer. If they won, they got the rights to the planet. They could turn it into whatever they desired. If they lost, they would be executed. It wasn't against any laws to attack, but it was shameful to challenge the planet and lose. Death was more honorable than returning home a loser." She answered.

"They said that... that the ability I have, that thing that happened to me in that fight against the monster, was something that belonged to you." He said. They were now sitting across from each other, both in the "criss cross" position. "What is it?" She gave him another friendly giggle.

"That, Steven, is a gift. What had happened to you was called "going feral". What it does is put you in a state of mind that relaxes your senses, causing them to calm and strengthen. It makes your pupils dialate which sharpens your eyesight. You mind gets cleared which improves your awareness. You're heartbeat increases, adrenaline in your body multiplies by hundreds of times times it's normal level. To sum it up, your strength, your speed, your stamina, your mind, it all strengthens at once and makes you an unstoppable force." She said.

"Really? That sounds awesome!" Steven said excitedly. "Why were the gems so scared though?" He asked.

"Do you remember how I told you that I don't often fight in battles? There were times when I would attack a planet and it would be worth something. If my army failed, I would take on the entirety of the enemies army, and, using my feral state, I would win without a single scratch on my body." Onyx-Agate explained.

"Earlier, you explained it like anyone could learn it. If that's the scenario, why wouldn't they try to learn it so they can be unbeatable?" Steven asked.

"Well, that's not really the case. To learn the feral state, you must have two qualities. The first is one you cannot learn easy. You must have endurance. You will have to go through great amounts of pain to master this ability. This pain is the acceleration of cell reproduction to store more energy. The second quality is stamina beyond measure. When you go feral, you're relaxing your mind, but your muscles are pushing themselves harder than ever. You got lucky when you used it the first time because you only used it for a very short amount of time. Normally when you use it without the proper training, all of your muscles will tear and your tendons will snap. If you have stamina, you can use your abilities much longer than normal, which brings us back to endurance. If your stamina is low, them you need your endurance all your muscles won't strain. Does that make sense?" Onyx-Agate explained. Steven nodded. "Good, you will start your training today. First, we will strengthen your endurance. You already have a lot, but you will need more. It will take a while, but I believe you can do it. Any questions?" She asked.

"What's your strongest power?" Steven asked. He received a small giggle.

"I was hoping for a question about training, but no matter. My strongest power is my touch of death. It's a last resort move, but it ensures the death of whomever I touch. I channel all of the energy from my gem into my palm and touch the target. It sends a shock wave through their body and damages their insides. On a gem, however, all the energy goes straight for the targets gem and severely cracks it." She explained.

"Why is it a last resort thing?" Steven asked.

"Well, when the energy gets drawn from my gem, it leaves so little that it gets cracked. I've only had to use it once in my life, but it only gave me enough time to escape." Onyx-Agate said.

"Who did you use it on?" Steven asked.

"I used it on your mother. I knew of her legendary healing abilities, so I knew that when she was about to defeat me it would be my only escape. I cracked her gem, causing it to crack my own, and I fled. She survived and so did I, but I've been injured and vulnerable ever since." She said.

"Wait, I thought you never fought my mom." Steven said. He was confused again.

"Trchnically, Ididn't. Sure, I came face to face with her, but I didn't fight her. She attacked first with such strength it nearly killed me. I defended myself with that one move and I was on my way." Steven was starting to understand. The way Onyx-Agate explained everything, she didn't seem so bad. She was around in a time where domination was survival, she never fought unless she needed to, and she was just as vulnerable as anyone else. "So, are you ready?"

"Yup." Steven said, Onyx-Agate was the greatest person he had ever met. When he was with the gems, they always told him lies and fibs and stuff "for his protection". Onyx-Agate was 100% honest with him. If he asked her something she would answer truthfully. "Let's get started."

**That's the end of this chapter. It was short, but it was just a questionaire sort of chapter to give you guys a better idea of the history of Onyx-Agate and her "Feral ability". Please review and stuff. See ya**


	10. Suffocation

**Welcome back guys! Hope you like this chapter. Keep in mind that you are allowed to say bad things about this, k? I won't grow as a writer if you don't. So I challenge you, if you are going to write something good, you have to write something bad underneath. Say something you didn't like about it. If you were going to write something bad anyways, yay. Review!**

Connie was walking up the steps of the gem's home, each step creaking under her feet. She reached the door and gave it a knock. Pearl came to the door and welcomed her with a smile.

"Hello Connie, are you here for Steven?" Pearl asked.

"Yeah, is he here?" She asked. Pearl stepped aside for her to enter. As Connie passed the threshold, she felt something get into her eye. She quickly rubbed it and saw "Steven" running down to her.

"Hey Connie!" He said with a giant grin. She smiled back, she noticed that Pearl had left.

"Hey Steven." She said. "Did you finish your mission?" She asked. She felt the same thing in her eye again and rubbed it once more.

"Sure did." He answered. "I need to tell you all about it." As he was speaking, the hallucination gas was fabricating a story as to go along with Connie's question. "You shoulda seen it! There I was, facing this weird dog-like thing, right?" It unraveled its false story to the gullible girl.

Meanwhile, Steven was about to start his training.

"Now steven, do you know what endurance is?" Onyx-Agate asked.

"It's like, strength, isn't it?" Steven guessed.

"Close. By earthly definition, endurance is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from and have immunity to trauma, wounds, and fatigue." She explained. "The way we are going to increase your endurance is by toughening up your body and your mind."

"How're we gonna do that?" Steven asked.

"We are going to train vigorously and diligently. Each morning, we will train our upper body. In the afternoon we will train our legs and lower body. At night, we will rest with meditation. The next day we will repeat the process, and so on." She explained. "Any questions?" She asked.

"How long are we going to train for?" He asked.

"However long it takes to get you to where you can kill the gems." She said. Steven was taken aback.

"K-Kill... the gems?" He said, unsure of what he heard.

"Yes have to kill the gems." She said.

"You're serious? No! I'm not gonna kill them." Steven said.

"Steven, think about it. Did they try to help you when they found out something was off? No, they did quite the opposite actually. The second you were asleep they started plotting your death. If they aren't eradicated soon, they could kill both of us." Onyx-Agate said. Steven looked down at his feet.

"But... they're my-" Steven was interrupted.

"Friends? Steven, if you hadn't woken up that night they would've killed you. If you left me and went to your home they would end your life the second your big toe was through the threshold. Are you going to stand idly by as they plot your downfall? Paranoid, that any day now they might find you?" She could see that her words were getting to Steven. He had an expression on his face that showed anger, sadness, and a little bit of disappointment.

"But... I can't." Steven said quietly, it was almost a whisper.

"This is what will be the end of you. You can't harm them, but they won't think twice about slaughtering you like a sheep. If you had any sense at all, you'd trust me about this. Killing them is the only way to ensure your safety." She said. Steven looked at her, then down at his feet for a couple of seconds. He was twiddling his thumbs, showing signs of nervousness. Finally, he looked up.

"Okay." He said. Onyx-Agate got a smile on her face. On the surface it was warm, showing pity and understanding for the young boy. On the inside, however, it was an evil grimace. Another part of her plan had fallen into place.

"Let's get started then, shall we?" Onyx-Agate said. Steven nodded. Although he hated the thought, he would have to kill the people he trusted the most(aside from Connie and his dad). Onyx-Agate was right, that was the only way he'd be safe. "First things first, i need you to help me."

"With what?" Steven asked. Onyx-Agate lowered her head to him and showed the gem on top. It was severely cracked. "Will you heal me?" She asked.

"What happened?" Steven asked.

"Remember? I used the touch of death and it cracked." She said. Steven nodded. He licked his hand and placed it on the gem. The cracks started to retreat to his palm, healing and reforming. Within seconds, it was done. Onyx-Agate stood up straight, feeling the top of her head. She touched her gem and felt no cracks or blemishes. She smiled and excitedly turned to Steven. "Thank you so much Steven!" There was a definite change in Onyx-Agate's personality. She seemed happier, more lively, and energetic. It was a totally different Onyx-Agate than before. She collected herself, putting on her serious look again. "*ahem* Let's get training."

*meanwhile with Connie and "Steven"*

"Really? So you just kicked it in the snout?" Connie said. "Steven" had told her the tale of his fight with a dog monster.

"That's not even the coolest part! After I kicked it, it exploded and turned into a pile of puppies! After half an hour of petting them, I walked through a door on the other side of the room and I found the "Sacred Sandwich Scroll". I used it to make the most perfect sandwich in the world, and it just blew itself up after." "Steven" said. Connie was eating up every word, she had no reason(or proof) to believe that he was lying.

"Woooooow! That's so cool!" Connie said. "Do you have the sandwich?" She asked.

"Well... that's the sad part. The scroll was too close to the sandwich when it exploded, and it blew up the sandwich. I wanted to make it again, but there were too many instructions to remember." "Steven said. "I'll be right back. I have to use the bathroom." It said. It got up and walked to the bathroom. Connie was left alone. She got up to get herself a snack from the fridge. She grabbed an apple and was walking back when she noticed something odd. She heard a flush and a few seconds later, "Steven" was walking back from the bathroom.

"Hey Steven. You said the scroll exploded, right?" Connie asked. "Steven" nodded. "Well, wouldn't it have left a mark on the counter? Like taken a chip out of it or left some ash marks?" Connie asked. She saw "Steven" get a nervous expression on his face. "And in your story, you said you were gone for at least a week. You told me a couple of days ago that you started your mission. And come to think of it, didn't you head off east? You said just now that you went north..." Connie said. She looked up at Steven who had disappeared. She looked around her, but couldn't see him.

"Why must you question everything?" She heard a voice from right behind her. She jumped and turned fast, seeing "Steven". "I really was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this Connie, I really liked you. And so does Steven. Now, I'm going to have to erase you from the picture." It wasn't Steven's voice, it was a woman's. Black smoke poured down from Steven's fingers. It went to Connie and wrapped around her, replacing air with thick, suffocating smoke. It hurt to breathe, her eyes watered from lack of oxygen. She blacked out, her last memory was the smoke that surrounded her, and the evil laughter of Steven.

**... Wo... Hope you liked it! remember that if you plan to review good write something bad about the chapter also. **

**Another thing, I got a review from a guest asking if there will be a chapter soon about the gems reacting to Steven's disappearance. The answer is: Not any time soon. Where the story is, the gems don't know that Steven is gone because of the hallucination gas. I plan to keep this story going for a while, so the gems won't find out till way later. **

**Another thing, someone asked me(through PM) "can't Garnet use her future vision to see that Steven was taken or that Onyx is nearby" The answer simply being: Hallucination gas goes deeper than what people think. It changes the gems' outlook on the world and the stuff they see, thus effecting garnet's future vision. By guys, see ya.**


	11. Training day

** Down to business. last chapter got a happy amount of negative criticism, thanks you guys! :) Another thing, I got a review saying that the only bad thing was that the chapters could be longer(if ya wanna find it, look in the reviews) So, i thought to myself, "Longer, eh? Last time someone asked for longer chapters i said I'd go for 2000 words per chapter... so i guess I'll start shooting for 4000 words." that's right. From here on, all the chapters are gonna be around 4000 words. Hope you enjoy, like always review(maybe even say some negative things)**

**Training day**

Onyx was at the monitor. Behind her, Steven was sleeping. They had been training for hours, almost the entire day. She was watching the feedback from the attack on Connie, smiling to herself. She knew, of course, that Connie wasn't really hurt. If she had been, Steven would've hated it and ran away from her. What had happened was simple and painless. The false Steven(who is made from pure hallucination gas) just disassembled part of himself to envelope Connie in it. Stronger doses of it can make you feel injury if that's what the user is projecting, it could even give one a false sense of being healed. Right now, Connie was probably back at her house waking up from a "nightmare".

She looked down at her leg and saw Erendus tapping her thigh. He let out a growl.

"Actually, I did see that. It looks as if my hallucination gas has another weakness i didn't know of." Onyx-Agate said to her pet. "All the lies that it builds, it can't conjure some of the physical things it talks about." She patted Erendus' head and looked back at Steven. She smiled, as evil and heartless as she was she had to admit that he looked adorable while he slept. She stood from her seat and walked over to him. "Steeeeeven." She said slowly and softly as she nudged him awake. He groaned as he opened his eyes. "You know, building endurance is pointless if you keep resting." She said jokingly. He let out a tired giggle.

"I can't move anything." He said, barely moving his lips to form the words.

"Well, that's why you need endurance. C'mon, get up." Onyx-Agate said luring him off of his sleeping area. Steven groaned and stood, rocking back and fourth on his feet to keep his balance, his head was spinning with dizziness. "There, see? In a month or so, getting up will be nothing to you." She said, Steven groaned at the thought of having to continue this for a month.

"A month?" He complained, "That's like... thirty days!" He slumped over, his fingertips nearly grazing his toes.

"Yup. After a month, the next nine years should be a piece of cake." She said patting the top of his head. He rocketed upright, had he heard correctly?

"NINE YEARS?!" He asked loudly. Onyx-Agate nodded. Nine whole years was the perfect amount of time for her plan to take action. It would take less time if Steven was already properly trained, however, but every plan takes time.

"Are you ready?" She asked. She looked at the miserable child, she could only imagine how tired he was. She didn't care though, the reason being she had to go through the same training herself, and never once did she complained. If he wasn't so important to her plan she would've been more strict with him, but for him to cooperate she would have to keep him happy.

"Yeah." Steven said. They walked to the training area. Set up there were various types of equipment, none of which belonged to earth. Onyx-Agate had explained that they were home world tech used to speed up certain areas of training. The ones they were using were designed specifically for building endurance. Since this was the most important attribute used for the feral state, there were only endurance equipment. Everything else would be done naturally, through discipline and training.

The machine they walked up to was a tank. This was the main reason Steven was exhausted. The tank was designed to put him to sleep so that it could inject him with various liquids, all of which(through time) would cause wounds to heal just as fast as they were inflicted.(A/N: imagine the tank they used in X-Men that gave wolverine his metal skeletal system and healing abilities) The only negative side-affect is that the liquids would embed themselves in his muscle tissue, bone marrow, his epidermis layers, his blood system, and anywhere else that could get damaged. The liquid would require small portions of whatever it was protecting, so if it was protecting muscle, it would embed itself into the muscle and slowly eat away at it. The point of this is to change the DNA structure of the organisms in the liquid so it could produce the DNA for the protected area. After the organisms eat enough, they replace what they've consumed and reside there for the rest of the person's life. This would help with recovering from physical abilities, something that could be useful in any battlle.

Steven hopped into the machine. The lid closed and sealed him in. Liquid filled the container, causing Steven to sleep. Next, many needles appeared at his sides. They forced themselves into his arms, legs, neck, and sides. They sat there for a moment and withdrew. The organisms injected would need some time to take effect, so Onyx-Agate had some time to polish her plan. She walked over to the monitor again, watching the one that was watching Connie. Connie had started stirring, and sat up with a gasp.

"So, she's finally awake." Onyx-Agate said, she reached over to Erendus and scratched his head. "If all went well, Erendus, she'll believe it was only a nightmare. With that in mind, she'll probably stay away from the Gem house for a while." Erendus growled in agreement, tilting his head in pleasure from the soft spot Onyx-Agate was scratching. "It's quite ironic, Erendus. Though Connie plays no role towards my victory, she could easily be my downfall." She said. Erendus growled again. "How, you ask? I thought it was obvious. If Connie remembers the attack as an experience rather than a dream, then there's a good chance she could run and tell the gems. The gems might not believe her at first, but through remembrance of Connie's loyalty, they just might." Onyx-Agate said. She received another growl. "As do I, but all the confidence in the world won't set my plan in stone." The machine behind her beeped, signaling that Steven was ready to get out. She walked over to it, pushing a button on the door to open it. Steven fell out into Onyx-Agate's arms, covered by liquid. He was still sleeping, so she set him down on his sleeping area, letting him rest before the next exercise. "Steven, I am going to turn you into a fighting machine. No one will be able to stand against you. You will be invincible, no one will be able to come close to harming you. All coming soon, be ready." She whispered. Steven had a calm face, his breathing was long and heavy.

*With Connie*

Connie had just woken, the memory of the incident burned in her mind. She looked around quickly, looking for any sign of the Gems' house, only seeing her bedroom walls. She placed her hand gently on her forehead to feel for her temperature, all she felt was ice-cold sweat. The dream felt all too real, each terrifying moment etched in her eyelids. She looked up and around once more, no sign of Steven or of the Gems... had it only been a dream? She clenched her hand into a fist and punched her bed, it couldn't have been a dream! She stood and paced her room, running each memory through her brain, trying to distinguish dream and reality. On one hand, nothing like that would ever happen in the real world. On the other hand, her best friend was a magical half-alien who lived in a house with other aliens who's sole purpose is to defend the planet. She groaned, being in these kinds of situations sucked.

With Onyx-Agate and Steven

It had been a couple of hours after Steven's treatment, though he was still hurting, it was getting easier for him to recover from the damages, which meant that there were only a couple more treatments to do. Right now, Steven and Onyx-Agate were practicing combat. Onyx-Agate was teaching him gem-warrior basics.

"Now Steven, the key is concentration. Your gem is good for more than just activating your weapon, you can channel the energy from it and use it to maximize your attack strength. That, combined with the feral state, will make even the biggest of mountains move with the slightest touch of your finger." She explained. "If you learn real attacks, you could inflict some serious damage." Steven was looking down at his gem.

"Do all gems know about that?" Steven asked.

"Not all of them, only those high in the ranks of warriors know of it." She answered. "The Gems don't know about it if that's what you're wondering."

"How does it work?" He asked.

"It takes a lot of concentration, you focus on the energy of your gem and imagine it traveling through your body, building up in the area you want it." Onyx-Agate said. "First things first, you have to learn how to battle." She said. Steven got a small smile on his face, all these things he didn't know about he was suddenly learning. "Let's begin with weapon training."

"Alright." Steven said. He brought out his shield, by now it was a basic reflex that he could control easily.

"As you know, your shield is considered a weapon, which means it has more uses than just defense. Anything you think you can do with your weapon, you can do. Take mine for example." She reached up to her gem and pulled something out. When it formed, it was revealed to be a set of nunchuks. The design was a dark purple, the handles had jagged carvings in them, the chains attaching them were glowing bright purple. "What you see is a weapon used for attacking, right? Well, it can be used for defense and even transportation. I can move things, grab things, cause suction by spinning it, the possibilities are endless." She explained.

"So... what can I do with my shield?" Steven asked.

"Anything you want. Whatever you think you can do." Onyx-Agate said. Steven was dumbfounded. "Give it a try." She said. Steven was holding his shield, studying it. Suddenly, his face lit up. He set it down on the ground and took a few steps back, setting himself up to run. He ran at his shield, hopped into the air and landed in a during position into the surprisingly warm surface of the guard. With the momentum he had, he started sliding around, giggling as he went. By leaning, he could control where he went, so he started weaving through the many machines and rocks. Onyx-Agate watched the giddy boy, she couldn't help but smile at his happiness. "That's very good Steven, now come on over."

"Okay!" Steven yelled. He slowed to a halt in front of Onyx-Agate, he got up and his shield disappeared.

"See? There are many uses for one's weapon. Now, you need to learn how to use it properly." Onyx-Agate explained. She once again brought out her nunchuks, studying the handles. "I want you to attack me." She said as she picked a spec of dust off of her weapon.

"Attack you?" Steven asked. Onyx nodded, she didn't even glance at Steven. "Alright." He said, unsure of the situation. He took out his shield and started thinking. What approach should he take? He thought of the possibilities, settling on one in particular. He grabbed the shield by the edge and threw it at her. It sliced through the air, traveling at such high speed that no one could block it, but she did. Not only did she block it with her nunchuks, she redirected it back at him, causing it to fly even faster. Steven activated his bubble to stop the impact, but the shield cut right through it. It whizzed past his ear, he could hear it cutting the air as it went by.

"If this were a real battle, that would've gone through your skull. You need to understand that there is no room for mistakes in a fight, if the enemy finds an opening to gain the upper hand, they'll take it. Never allow your weapon to be separated from you unless you have a reason for it. Got it?" Onyx-Agate said. Steven nodded. "Good, now attack me again." Onyx-Agate didn't raise her weapon, didn't set herself up to defend, she didn't even show any sign of concentration. Steven took this as a challenge, summoning his shield with a huff. This time, he decided on a head-on attack. He ran at Onyx-Agate, shield raised in front of him, no idea of his attack plan. Onyx-Agate stepped to the side and stuck out her foot, tripping him. He fell all the way to the ground, catching himself with his hand and elbow, which got messed up badly.

"Hey, you can't do that!" Steven said. He got up from the hard, jagged floor, the wounds on his hand and elbow were stinging.

"Why not? I saw a chance to gain the upper hand and I took it. Like I've said, the enemy won't hesitate to win at any cost. Now, take a second to form a strategy before you attack. Make sure to include every small possibility, make it foolproof." Onyx-Agate said. Steven took her words into consideration and started during his strategy. He felt confident as he got ready to attack, every possibility was thought of, and every solution was found. He ran at Onyx-Agate, like he did the last time, Onyx-Agate stepped aside and tripped him, like she did last time. This time, however, Steven activated his bubble right before he hit the ground, the impact bounced him back up, popping the bubble. Using the momentum he had, he swung his shield at Onyx-Agate, a loud ringing noise echoed through the cave add it made contact with her cheek. He could see a bruise forming as she was knocked backwards a bit. The bruise, however, faded away in an instant as she healed herself. She was smiling at Steven, she felt a sudden sense of pride. "Very good Steven, that was an excellent hit." Onyx-Agate said.

"Woo! I did awesome on that round!" Steven said, he threw his fists into the air in celebration. He studied his arms while they were in the air. He noticed that his arm was almost healed, he opened his fist, it was almost healed.

"You see, now, how useful healing is? In just a couple more treatments, you'll be able to heal as fast as you're wounded." Onyx-Agate explained.

"If we're almost done with treatments, then why do I need a month of them?" Steven asked.

"In total, there are five treatments. Each treatment gives you a higher dosage than the last, so after the fifth one, you'll need a few weeks to recover." Onyx-Agate said. Steven nodded. "Speaking of which, it's time for your next treatment. Good job training today." Onyx-Agate led Steven back to the machine, lifted him in, and closed the lid. Once again, the machine started to fill slowly. She didn't bother sticking around, she walked over to her moniter once more.

On the screen, she saw Connie's room. Right now, it was empty. Erendus hopped into her lap, her fingers mindlessly started scratching his head.

"I don't know how to feel, Erendus. Connie's room is empty, she could be eating downstairs, or she could be halfway to the Gems' house by now. I choose to believe the former." Onyx-Agate explained to her pet. Erendus growled. "You're right. With a plan like this, I can't keep assuming with a positive manner. I'll need to gather data, get evidence that she won't go anywhere near the Gems." She explained, it mostly to herself. Behind her, the machine beeped. She stood and walked over to it, she opened the cover and Steven fell out. Once again, he was asleep and covered with liquid. She set him down gently on his sleeping area. The boy started resting, he would need it. This dosage would do more to his body than the last time. He would have to recover for about three days. "I'll see you in a few days Steven." Onyx-Agate said. She grabbed her cloak off of the wall and made for the door. She was going to go out and check on her targets, to make sure they were acting accordingly. "I'll be back when Steven awakes, Erendus. I'll keep in touch." Onyx-Agate said. She closed the door behind her and made for her destination.

*With Connie*

Connie was sitting at the dinner table with her parents, they were eating dinner, and sharing stories from their day.

"How was your day Connie?" Her mother asked. "Didn't you go over to Steven's today?" Connie's eyes widened, It was real! The whole thing, even the part where Steven tried to kill her.

"Yeah, it was fun." She decided to lie to her parents. She didn't want them worrying, plus it didn't matter if she lied, she wasn't going to Steven's house anytime soon.

"What did you do there?" Her father asked.

"He told me a story about a mission he went on once, and we played games and talked about books. It was fun." Connie answered. Her parents nodded in acknowledgment. She continued eating, she could feel the silence creep over the table. They sat there, entranced in awkwardness, the only sound was the sound of silverware hitting the plate. "What about you guys?" Connie asked. Her mom started talking about her day. Connie wasn't interested, she was just looking for something to break the silence. She continued eating, glad that they were no longer in silence.

*With Onyx-Agate*

Onyx-Agate was on the move to the Gems' house. She was going to perform a parameter check around the house, making sure her traps and such were still set and strong. She wasn't quite there yet, but she was moving quick. Instead of jumping, like last time, she was sprinting, moving three times as fast as before.

"Steven is improving quickly. It's only been a few days of actual training and he's advancing faster than I thought he would." Onyx-Agate said. "If he keeps it up like this, I might only need five or six years to train him." Onyx-Agate giggled to herself, she loved how well her plan was coming together. "Soon, world, you will be under my rule."

*With Steven*

Steven was still in the tank. His head was swirling with thoughts, dreams were forming, and his limbs twitched every now and then.

"I wonder how Connie's doing." Steven thought subconsciously. The thoughts were much like this one, wondering how people were doing and how they were getting along. His mind crossed the Gems. His body flinched. He hadn't thought about the Gems in a while. He didn't really want to. The thought of them brought back that isolated getting he had before they plotted his death. The feeling reminded him of how he felt in the tank he was in. Alone. The only difference was the liquid that he floated in.

**Yo! Alright, I hope you liked it. Some things to know, you'll have to wait longer than before for chapter updates since I'm extending them. Tell me what you think of the new length, or if the chapter in general. See ya**


	12. Change of plans

**YOOOOOO! Welcome back. I have a bit of a message(more like some questions) but I'll wait till after the chapter to ask you guys, i hope you enjoyed last chapter and the extension of the chapters(speaking of which, I hope you read the last chapter, i replaced the message with a chapter... so if you didn't see it, go see it), cause here is another one. This chapter is going to be a little bit farther into the future, so we're finally moving along!**

**~Change of plans~**

Steven heard a sound to his left, a twig breaking, then to his right, a rock being kicked, his eyes followed the noises he heard, his ears tracked the movement of his foe. He stood like a frog, his legs bent with his knees in front of him with his hands balancing him in the front. He leapt into the air, doing a flip to dodge a flashing dagger. He landed back on the ground, a drop of sweat ran down his forehead. He twitched his eyes to the left and leapt again, he used a nearby tree to propel him to the attacker hiding in the bushes and tackled his foe. Onyx-Agate was pressed against the ground with a thud, Steven had her pinned with his hands on her wrists, pushing them into the ground, he was sitting on her stomach to lock the rest of her into place. She struggled for a second in attempt to get away, then relaxed, smiling up at the grinning boy.

"You're getting much better Steven." Onyx-Agate said, Steven's smile widened. "You took me down faster than yesterday." She said. Steven hopped up, doing a cheer with his fists pumping in the air. It had only been one year, but he had changed quite significantly. He had gone from being five feet three inches tall, to being five feet nine inches. His shoulders had broadened a bit, his chest was fairly muscular and his stomach was flat, his face had gone from being cute to being handsome. His hair was the only thing that stayed the same. His voice had only slightly deepened, it was still cracking which meant he had had a couple more years before it stopped.

Steven was still celebrating, running around as he always did when he was happy. He was wearing an official Homeworld training outfit, a black thermal suit that changed his body temperature based on the environment. Right now, it was keeping him nice and cool in the hot, stuffy forest they had moved to to train. Onyx-Agate was wearing the same suit, but instead of being black, it was multiple shades of purple.

She stood up and dusted herself off, smiling as she watched the young man self-celebrating. As much as it pained her to say it, she had actually grown quite fond of Steven. She was still using him as a tool, he was still just a pawn in her plan, but he had become close to her in a way that bacteria becomes close to a wet object. She hated to love him, yet at the same time, she loved to hate him.

"How long did it take me today?" Steven asked. Onyx-Agate clicked a part of the wrist of the suit and a digital clock appeared, it brought up a bunch of foreign symbols that translated into earth numbers.

"It took you twenty minutes and thirty-one seconds. It may sound impressive, but considering you had gone feral for most of that time, it's pretty disappointing. You need to be faster." Onyx-Agate said. Steven slouched a bit.

"I would be faster, but these suits weigh a ton." Steven said, he udjusted the collar of the suit as he spoke.

"The suit doesn't weigh a 'ton', Steven, it's only five-hundred and fifty pounds, you're lucky we started with a lower weight and built up to this point.. Trust me though, it's going to be worth it." Onyx-Agate said.

"Yeah yeah, "it's building my strength and speed with every move I make." I've heard it before." Steven said, his spirits had been harshly mellowed. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and let out a soft 'harumph'. Onyx-Agate, who had been watching him, put her hands on her hips and transferred her weight on one leg, standing in a slightly annoyed, slightly sympathetic stance. She sighed.

"We'll celebrate you exceeding your personal record, alright?" She said. Steven didn't alter his form, but she saw a tiny smile on his face. She beckoned him to follow her, and they made their way back to their camp. The camp they made wasn't too impressive, it was just a makeshift place to take shelter in until the training was done.

"So, Onyx. When are we going back to the cave?" Steven asked his mentor, he enjoyed the hut they were in now, but the old cave was much better. Compared to the itchy grass that made up the floor, the solid, rocky floor was much more comfortable.

"We're just about finished up here, but we're not returning to the cave. We're going to go somewhere with water next so we can get some training there. After that, we'll return to the cave." Onyx-Agate said.

"Alright, what kind of training are we doing at the next place?" Steven asked, he hopped over a fallen log and continued walking.

"First, you're going to learn how to be able to hold your breath for days, then you're going to learn how to see clearly through the water and learn to use the underwater environments as camouflage. From then on, it's going to be the same as what we were doing here. Under the water, your movements will be slow, so it's going to help your stamina, your speed, and your strength." She replied. The hut was coming into view, it looked extra shabby from the outside: the roof was barely a roof, the walls were barely standing, and the color looked dirty and faded.

"That's gonna be so cool!" Steven said doing a light jump. They reached the doorway of the hut, the inside of it looked even worse than the outside. It was small, the rooms were separated by walls of poorly strewn sticks, all that was in there was made of what was outside; chairs made of rocks, tables made of the trees, the beds made of grass, etc.

"I guess you could call it 'cool'." Onyx-Agate said. She was fixing a snack for Steven made out of a tree frog and bugs. She hated Steven's human genes, she only saw it as a weakness. If he was one hundred percent gem, he wouldn't need petty things like food or water.

She finished the snack and handed it to Steven, who was sitting down on a rock carved in the shape of a chair. He happily took it, he started eating right away. The first time they had come there was eight months previous to that date, when he had first gotten a cooked tree frog and some dead bugs, he had complained to no end, it had been one long hour of him wanting normal food. It had taken quite the amount of convincing, but he eventually tried it.

"So, how're we celebrating?" Steven asked, his mouth was full of food. Onyx-Agate nodded toward the plate.

"I made sure not to give you the poisonous bugs. Congratulations on beating your record." Onyx-Agate said. Steven wasn't phased, non-poisonous bugs were a pretty big deal. Onyx-Agate usually had him eat the poisonous ones to try and make his immune system stronger.

"Thanks." He said, stuffing his face with more frog. Onyx-Agate walked over to her traveling cloak and wrapped it around herself, tying a knot in front to keep it up.

"I'm going to be gone for a couple of hours, consider this time of rest a gift." Onyx-Agate said, she walked out of the door and jumped into the air, traveling north. She was heading back to the cave to check the monitor. She was going to check on the Gems, and more importantly, Connie.

*Meanwhile*

"Yes, mother, I'm on my way home... Yes, I spent my four hours of study time in the Library... Yes, I returned the book you checked out." Connie was talking on her phone with her mother. She was walking back home from the library, the sun was just starting to go down, each step she took was routine. She went to the library daily, she studied for school even when it wasn't necessary, and she gotten top grades in her classes, but she was doing it all alone.

All of the kids at her school were threatened by her intelligence, and without Steven to help her through it, she was by herself. She'd tried searching for Steven, but after a while, she gave up. She couldn't devote all of her time and energy looking for someone who's disappeared off of the face of the Earth.

Like Steven, Connie had grown a bit. She was a few inches taller, her face had started changing, nothing too major, but as mentioned, her intelligence was what grew the highest.

She was halfway to her house, her mother was still yammering away in her ear, but she wasn't really listening, so she hung up without saying goodbye. She knew it was disrespectful and she would hear about it when she got home, but right now, she was wrapped up in her thoughts. She would receive hell when she got home, but who cares? She didn't. As she walked, her mind stayed fixed on Steven, as it always had, and nothing could deter her from her mindset.

This behavior was quite normal for her though, it wasn't the first time she had paid no attention to one of her parents, or the first time she had hung up on them in the middle of a sentence. Her parents had asked her countless times why she was acting the way she was, and every answer was the same, "I don't want to talk about it".

She sighed, she could see her house coming into view. She hated being home, after the unfortunate event at the gem house, she had distanced herself away from the gems and eventually fell into somewhat of a depression. It was because of her angst that her parents occasionally fought, her mother would blame her father, saying that it was because he never tried to spend time with her, and her father would blame her mother and say it was because she was working all the time, and never paid much attention to her. It was dreadful... but did Connie have a say in the matter? Nope... it was simply the way it was, nothing could make it different.

She opened the front door, she could feel the icy stare of her mother and father as she stepped over the threshold. It was at that moment, that Hell had been unleashed, both of her parents' words came pouring out, stopping her in her tracks. As she had before, she listened without really paying attention. She could see them standing there, her mother with her hands on her hips, her father waving his arms arms around, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. She passed them as they were yelling, her face was pointed straight forward, it was almost as if she were ignoring the presence of the two people in the room. She walked up the stairs to her room, and slammed the door. The slam rang throughout the house, silencing the two at once. They shot glares at each other, and walked separate ways, her mother went upstairs to lay down, and her father went to make a snack in the kitchen, something he often did when he was angry.

Connie hopped into her bed, laying on her back. She was staring up at the ceiling, her eyes fixed on the blank surface. It wasn't very exciting, but it was how she passed the time.

*Meanwhile*

Onyx-Agate had seen what had just transgressed. In her mind, a plan was already formulating, and Connie had just been kicked up from being an obstacle, to being a major part of it. If she could make Connie join her, she could have a power even greater than if she only had Steven. She already had some potential, being an intermediate swordsman with an I.Q that challenged her own. It was a good idea, but could she pull it off?

She tapped her chin, thinking for a way to overcome the annoying question of whether it was possible or not. She decided it was, all that was needed was to erase the memory of her attack from her mind, that way there would be no defiance, and with Steven on her side, it would only be that much easier. She nodded and smiled, the plan was already finished. She headed toward the entrance of her cave, heading out to Connie's home to put her plan into motion. The sun was still fairly high in the sky, it was starting to lower toward the horizon, but her intents should only take up mere minutes. Then, it was on to phase two.

*Meanwhile*

Steven was petting Erendus, scratching him under the chin, the spot he knew was the most pleasurable. He stood, receiving a small noise from the animal. He giggled and gave him one more pat on the head before going outside. He breathed in the air, it came in warm and wet due to the atmosphere. He exhaled and started his daily dose of tai-chi, using quicker movements. It wasn't something suggested by Onyx-Agate, but it took up time, trained his defense, and helped him develope his own fighting style. He enjoyed it as well, he liked the calming affect it had on him, it kept him feeling refreshed.

He looked up at the sky, the sun was setting fast. He stopped his exercise to watch as the sky turned a bright crimson. He decided that he could skip a day if tai-chi, and he laid down and watched the sunset. He yawned, he didn't realize until then how tired he was, the day's training was catching up to him. His eyelids started to droop, and in time, he found himself dozing off.

*Meanwhile*

Onyx-Agate was at Connie's home, she was staring at the window of her room, waiting patiently for her to fall asleep. The sun had completely dipped under the horizon, the moon was rising in its place.

She was in a meditative state, her body was relaxed, and her eyes were closed. She cracked one of them open, using her feral ability to see through the night and into the room, Connie had finally fallen asleep. She set herself up to jump, leaping through the air with a silent face, landing without a sound outside of the window, holding the ledge for support. She slipped some hallucination gas underneath, it slipped slowly over to Connie. It went into her nose and through her body until it reached her brain, it's purpose was to erase the memory of the attack, and it would stay in her head, forever clouding the experience.

Her job was done, so Onyx-Agate dropped from the window, landing without a sound on the ground and fled toward the hut. She smiled to herself, phase one was complete. It was time, now, for phase two, getting Steven to convince her to join them. It should be easy, with Steven saying positive things, there's no way she would decline.

The hut was coming into view, she could see the boy sleeping on front of it. She rolled her eyes and groaned, knowing she would be the one to have to carry him in. She landed by him softly, she didn't want to wake him. She bent down, grabbing his arms and yanking him up and over her shoulder. It was a lot easier when he was little, that's for sure. His weight, combined with the weight of his training suit, was almost enough to take her down.

She carried him inside and set him down on his bed with a thud. With the first snore, she agreed it was time to call it a night. Even though she didn't need to sleep, she enjoyed it. It was one of those simple pleasures, it felt nice to dream. She collapsed in her bed and turned over, smiling at her own genius plan. Tomorrow, it continues.

**Well, there you have it. Onyx-Agate is plotting something. Now, for the questions.**

**1\. Did I make a good move making Connie like that? be honest.**

**2\. As you may have noticed, I've changed my writing style quite a bit to keep up with the chapter extension, do you like it?**

**3\. I've noticed that a lot of the chapters focus more on narration or internal monologue, would you like to see more dialogue and interactions between characters? Or do you think it's fine the way it is. **

**that's all for now, tips are helpful. see ya **


	13. A good day

**So, it's been forever guys. I'm sorry it took so long to get this up, as much as i want to say it wasn't a hiatus, it sure looks like it was from the eyes of you guys reading my amateur-at-best story. The reason I have for being so, what's the word, un-updatey? I'm not sure there is a word , but you get the point. The reason is I am really stepping out of my comfort zone with the new 4000 word per chapter. I get that there are people that do an insane 10000 word per chapter thing, but it's hard just doing what I do. I have to make enough story dialogue and details to cover a vast amount of space. I haven't been twiddling my thumbs, I've been writing and working hard, so I'm glad to present the new chapter some of you have been waiting for. Enjoy.**

**A good day**

It was raining today, Connie could tell by the soft patter of the droplets on her window, though it almost wasn't noticeable due to the strong, howling, wind. The grey sky outside seemed to cloak the town in a blanket of leisure. It was definitely a good Saturday to stay in and do absolutely nothing.

Connie had been listening to the sounds outside, she seemed more relaxed in this weather than in any other, which is why she enjoyed it so much. She rolled over, looking at the door to her room, she had noticed a nice smell coming from somewhere.

'Dad must be making breakfast.' Connie thought. She smiled, she loved her father's cooking, especially when he made breakfast. It sounded cliche to her when she explained to people that he had a recipe made by himself for the best pancakes, but it was the truth. It was a secret though, but she didn't mind. The result of this secret was a light, puffy breakfast drenched in syrup. He made sausage from scratch, using ingredients that were also private.

She hopped out of bed, today was a good day. For some reason, she felt happy today, as though the thought of Steven missing was numbed. She did a small twirl, dancing with glee, her depression had been lifted. It confused her though, how could she go from being angry and gloomy one day, and be fine the next. She hummed as she walked toward the door, she wasn't going to question the miracle; she had a breakfast to get to. She placed a hand on the doorknob, but quickly let go as it opened.

"Connie, it's time to- oh, good morning." Her mom said walking through the door. Connie gave her a smile.

"Good morning." She said, she hugged her and walked past her to go downstairs, leaving her mother dumbfounded.

She walked into the kitchen, excited by her newfound joy. "Good morning dad." She said, giving him a hug. He, like his wife, was absolutely shocked. She walked over to the table, waiting for the food to be ready. He looked at her with confusion, trying to work out a logical reason as to why she was suddenly happy. Was it a phase? Maybe, girl troubles? Couldn't be, not for a year. Body snatcher? Preposterous, all of his thoughts didn't make sense in one way or another. He slowly made his way toward the table, toward his patiently waiting daughter.

"C-Connie, are you okay?" Her father asked sitting down across from her. He didn't know whether to be happy for his daughter, or continue to be confused, the situation could only handle one emotion.

"Yeah, I just... feel happy today." She said. Her dad smiled back at her, he still was questioning her sudden change in mood, but he wasn't going to risk spoiling the feeling, not if it meant having his old daughter back.

"I'm glad to see you out of your funk." He said. He stood up and walked over to the stove to check on the meal. Connie couldn't help but notice that there was a small change in the way he walked, like suddenly he was happier than he was. Was he sad before? And if he was, was it her fault? She shook the thoughts from her head. Nothing was going to ruin her good mood.

* * *

"Steven," Onyx-Agate said, they were getting ready to start training, Steven was doing stretches and his mentor was making sure he did them right. "I want to put off our relocating for a bit." Steven looked up at her, standing to get ready for the conversation. "There are still things I haven't taught you to do yet that require solid ground to practice on, one of those being transformation." Steven nodded.

"Alright, is it really that important though? Me transforming?" Steven asked, he was curious as to why transformation was suddenly their top priority. He figured that she had some sort of plan that required him being able to change his shape and size.

"I have a mission I want you to do, something that is going to put some of what you have learned to the test." She replied. "But transformation is the key, that is why you must learn it first."

"What's the mission?" Steven asked. He was getting more anxious each passing second, this was going to be his first real assignment, he couldn't wait to impress his mentor.

"It's a kind of recruiting mission, there is someone who has skills that have caught my attention and I feel she would make a great addition to our team." Onyx-Agate said. Steven couldn't contain his excitement any longer, he had to know every detail.

"Who!?" He asked, he was pretty much bouncing up and down, stars filled his eyes.

"I believe you know her as 'Connie', her sword fighting skill is decent, and her intelligence is abnormal, with the correct training, she could hone her abilities and help greatly." Onyx-Agate said.

"Connie? As in, my old best friend Connie?" Steven asked, Onyx-Agate nodded. He didn't know how to feel about this, on one hand, he would be able to reunite with his best friend and closest confidant, but on the other, he hadn't seen her in forever, rather, what felt like forever.

"Yes Steven. I understand how you must be feeling about the situation, but I need her. We need her." Onyx-Agate said. It was the truth; for her personal plan, Connie was a necessity.

"It's gonna be kinda cool I guess, I haven't seen her in a while." Steven thought aloud. "Alright, I'll do it." Onyx-Agate smiled, on the outside it was pleasant, on the inside it was a malicious grin.

"Good, first, you will have to conduct surveillance, spy on her a bit." Onyx-Agate said. "That's where transforming comes in handy." Steven nodded.

"So, what, I'm just going to watch her? Gain Intel? That's all I'm going to be doing?" Steven asked.

"What else were you expecting to be doing?" She asked.

"What about the whole recruitment thing, I'm not even going to be talking to her?" He replied. He really wanted to get back together with his best friend, see what she's been up to, see how she's doing.

"That comes later Steven, the time to convince her to join us is the time you find what will make her want to join us." Onyx-Agate said. Steven scratched his head, sometimes her speech was too whimsical for him and sometimes left him confused. Onyx-Agate thought about how to dumb it down a bit. "When you find a reason to make her want to join us, you can talk to her."

"Oh, alright. Let's get training then." Steven said, at first he was only excited about the mission, but now his new motivation rested on the thought of reconciling with an old friend.

"Before we begin, you need to change traning gear." Onyx-Agate said. She flicked her fingers at him and with a flash, his outfit changed. It wasn't much of a difference, the color was still a deep, raven black. The white cuffs connected to a series of spider web-like lines running throughout the surface. The only actual difference was the weight. Steven was almost thrown you the floor by the new 400 pound suit.

"Woah, that's kinda heavy." Steven said. It had been explained to him that this was the training that went on on homeworld, so he didn't question why it had to be heavier.

"Take a few laps around the hut, do some exercise, and get accustomed to the new weight. Afterwards, we'll get started on training." Onyx-Agate said. So that's what Steven did, he immediately started a jog to the outside of the tiny house.

Inside, with the base occupied by no one but her, Onyx-Agate kept her plan in her mind, adding to it so she would always be one step ahead. She could hear the heavy footfall of Steven outside, she had to give it to the boy; he had great determination. Too bad, though, that he would eventually turn on her. She sighed, she knew the day would come that he would learn the truth about her intentions and would swap sides to take her on.

She looked at the window as Steven ran by, sweat on his face. She wondered why she was training him and making him as strong as he was, but smiled. When that day came, when all work was said and done, she would have to face a worthy opponent. She figured that was what would make it worth it, facing someone that was as strong as her, that knew everything she knew, all her techniques and her thought processes. Defeating Steven would only confirm for her that she is truly the strongest in the universe, that even those taught by her could be beaten.

* * *

Connie was walking through town, she had errands to run, but no time limit, so she could take in the sights and smells around her that she had grown accustomed to, but had never really noticed that past year.

She looked up, looking past her umbrella to the grey sky above. The rain, she noticed, wasn't coming down as hard as before, it was almost gone. She released the hinge keeping the umbrella open, folding it up and putting it under her arm. Feeling the light patter of rain on her head, the cold air around her, the splashing of water beneath her feet, she moved on, truly feeling alive.

* * *

Steven was sprawled out on the floor, sweat stained his face, his breathing was sharp and quick. Onyx-Agate was in her meditation pose, waiting patiently for Steven to say he was ready for training. She didn't mind, she had plenty of time until she needed to start getting serious about her plan.

"Steven, we can start tomorrow if you'd like." Onyx-Agate said, her eyes were still closed. She cracked one open and saw Steven, he was still laying on the floor with a deep red face, but he was shaking his head. She smiled, sighed, then stood up. "Alright, If you must be stubborn, let's get to work." Onyx-Agate said. That was the one thing she admired Steven for, his determination. The willingness he had to work hard even at the cost of his life was a most valuable asset for her team.

"Okay, gimme a second."Steven said, he rolled over and pushed himself up, his body was shaking violently. He got to his feet eventually, taking a deep breath to stabilize his breathing. "Alright, let's do this." Steven said.

* * *

Connie was in the supermarket, she had an apple in her hand examining it for bruises or bite marks. She tossed it in the bag she was holding that was full of good apples and walked to the deli. Standing there was a big, heavy looking man. He had scruff on his neck and black, short hair that was unkempt. His mustache hid his mouth as he spoke.

"What can I get fer ya miss." He said, his voice matched his appearance, it was low and gruff, he had an accent of some kind that Connie assumed was from New York.

"I need a pound of ham and a half pound of beef, can I get it wrapped in rice paper?" Connie knew that this was a very specific order and almost felt bad until the man laughed.

"You're a pretty specific person, aren't ya? I'll get that fer ya right away." He walked away and Connie looked around at the store deciding whether or not she needed anything else. A few seconds passed and the man was back, he had the meats she asked for wrapped in rice paper and had them in a small box.

"Thank you very much," Connie said taking the box, she was looking for a nametag so she could thank him formally.

"The name's Griff, and you're welcome." He said. Connie waved goodbye and walked away. She walked out of the store after paying for her groceries and continued with her errands. Once again, she knew she had no rush, no plans today we're urgent enough to make her feel like she had to run from one place to another.

The rain had vanished, sunlight was forcing its way through the clouds and illuminating the water on the ground in a blinding way, the air was slightly warmer than it was when she went in. The sound of birds chirping was keeping the quite social scene around the streets upbeat and tranquil, the soft pat of Connie's feet on the pavement was just one more sound added to the new world she saw, one that was full of opportunity and happiness.

* * *

"Steven, you're doing it wrong. You focus on what you want to be, then you let the idea envelop your body." Onyx-Agate said. She had been trying to get Steven to transform for an hour and no progress was being made.

"That's what I'm doing!" Steven said. He was trying his hardest to change his form, he did everything Onyx-Agate said and so far none of her advice had been working.

"If you we're doing what I told you, you'd have transformed by now. Try again." Onyx-Agate said. She didn't understand why, but she hated being strict with Steven. 'I don't know how he did it, but the little leech has gotten me to care for him.' Onyx-Agate thought, she watched the boy continue to try as hard as he could to turn into the cup they selected as their target.

"Onyx, this is too hard." Steven said. With all the strain he was putting on his mind along with the large amount of weight on his back, he was really feeling the fatigue.

"Do you want to take a break?" Onyx-Agate asked.

"I'm still standing, right? There's no reason to take a break." Steven said. He closed his eyes again, a bead of sweat ran down his forehead. "I promise you I'm going to do it by the end of the day." Onyx-Agate smirked.

"Alright, let's see it happen." Onyx-Agate said. Steven put his hands out to the sides of his shaking body, he hummed with his eyes closed, the sound was growing louder and louder. With a lurch, his skin turned blue, the color of the cup. He stood still for a second, then did a small hop in the air.

"I kinda did it! I'm close to doing it!" Steven shouted.

"You haven't quite done it yet, but good job at doing something at least." Onyx-Agate said. Steven's skin returned to its original color and he got right back into his stance.

* * *

Connie was on her way home, all of her errands were finished, her arms were full of bags and boxes that were full of food, clothes, and other types of household needs.

It was only noon, so the sun was high in the sky. The rain clouds that had appeared mere tens of minutes before were gone, in their place was blue sky with the occasional wispy line of white. The breeze was cool, something that happened occasionally due to the nearby ocean.

"Whoops." Connie said, her umbrella slipped from her hand amongst the many other things she was holding. She was going to drop everything and stoop down to pick it up, but a woman that was passing by got to it before she could.

"Here you go." The woman said. Connie recognized something familiar about the woman, but decided to shake it off and thank her for her act of kindness. As she walked, she couldn't help but realize how lucky she was that she was in a world that had at least some good in it.

* * *

"You got it Steven! You did it." Onyx-Agate said, Steven had finally turned into the cup he chose as his target. Panting, the boy returned to his normal body shape, his eyes drooped from exhaustion.

"Yay." He said quietly, he was ready to call it a day and retire to his bed, but he realized he had a question that he never got answered. "Hey, Onyx." Onyx-Agate, who was walking to her own bed, turned to look at him.

"Yes Steven?" She said.

"You told me that I have a sort of advantage when it comes to transformation... but you never told me what it was." Steven said.

"Well, Steven, if you must know, because you have the flesh of a human, your skin can both change color, and blend in with other humans, so you can take on any shape or form you desire and no one would know it was you." Onyx-Agate said. Steven had a sudden newfound energy.

"Are you serious?" Steven asked, Onyx-Agate nodded. "That is so cool! What else do I have an advantage in?"

"First, transformation, then I'll show you what else you can do as a human/gem hybrid." Onyx-Agate said. Steven still had quite a bit to learn about transformation, in the eyes of the homeworld, transforming into something so minimal was unimpressive by any standard, but it was a start.

**Well, I couldn't quite make it to 4000 words, but I tried. I hope you enjoyed, and I'm once again sorry it took so long to get this out. Got any questions about the story? PM me. Wanna see something happen in the story? PM me. Remember to leave a review, and maybe say some things you don't like and to help me. Thank you all for being patient(accept for one of you who left because of my un-updateyness) and thanks for reading**


	14. Just the two of us

**Hey guys, here's another chapter. I'm sorry it took a while to get it out. This chapter is going to have a little more action in it so that you guys aren't bored(let's admit it, this story has been in a slump for the past few chapters) remember to review and enjoy.**

**Just the two of us**

_"S-en. St-en. Steeeeven." Steven heard a soft voice, it sounded really familiar, but he couldn't assign it a face, nor could he find the source of it._

_"Who... are you?" Steven asked quietly and calmly. He couldn't see his own body, or his surroundings for that matter, but he felt ridiculously tired. He tried moving, but the lack of a body and a destination stopped him._

_"There's no time for that Steven," The voice said. It was a woman's, it was slow and pleasing to the ear. "I came to talk to you." She sounded as if she was talking to a toddler, like everything that came out of her mouth was meant to get her point across without agitating struggle._

_"What are we talking about?" Steven said, he still felt really sluggish._

_"It's more of a message. Please Steven, make sure you're playing for the right team. One side is good, they only have the best intentions for the future. The other side is evil, their intentions are bad Steven, so don't give into them. You have to figure out which side is which, then you need to figure out which side you want to be on." She said, her voice was a little more shaky now._

_"Evil?" Steven was still trying to evaluate the message, but in the state he was in, it was taking a lot longer._

_"I have to go now Steven... please make the right choice, do it for me." She said. She sounded like she was crying a little. "I love you."_

* * *

Steven awoke with a gasp. He took a second to take in his surroundings. It was the interior of the grass hut. The moon outside was the only light source of the room, and it was shining directly on Steven's face. He placed a hand on his forehead, trying to remember his dream.

He remembered at least the major parts of it, something about a good side and a bad side, and he had to choose between them once he figured out which side was which.

He stood up. His head hurt, but he thought it a good idea to go for a walk and sort everything out while the memory was fresh in his mind. He made sure he was quiet as to not wake Onyx-Agate.

He stepped out of the door, the air was warm and moist as always. He picked a trail and started down it, both the headache and the need to figure out what his dream meant slowed him down.

'What was it she said? Make sure I'm on the right team?' Steven was thinking, he looked on down the path to help his thought process. He was most definitely on the right team... right?

The moon allowed little illumination through the canopy of the trees, but it was enough to see with.

Onyx-Agate wasn't that bad of a person, she had arranged the dictation of planets, but that was the norm out in space; attack or prepare to be attacked. The gems, however, were plotting his death... but... was that really a reason to flip on them? After all, they were his closest companions and they helped raise him and turn him into the person he was. They were scared was all, he learned more about the power he was given and found that it was definitely something to fear.

The sound of a twig cracking startled his heightened senses, but he ignored it; it was probably some kind of animal.

This was the first real time in a year that he had explored his issue with the gems. Thinking about it now, his little escape seemed a bit melodramatic; he could've probably convinced the gems that he wasn't anything to be scared of and they might've left him alone. He sighed... was he doing the right thing? It seemed to him that his actions were hypocritical; he was training and plotting to kill the gems because they plotted to kill him, and was it really worth killing them over?

Another twig rang through the forest, this time Steven turned his head, but he didn't let it bother him. He turned back to his thoughts.

'Kill', the word alone made him cringe, how was it that he had dedicated so much time to killing people without actually thinking of what it meant.

"_Please make the right choice, do it for me."_ Her voice sounded all too familiar, but who in the world could it be? It felt close to him, it made him feel content and safe, but how could a voice he couldn't remember do that to him?

He stopped, there was definitely something near him. He prepared himself for the worst, straining his ears to try and find some sort of sound that indicated something approaching. He dodged to the side of the trail as something came flying at him, it was a spear. The color of it was distinct, it was Onyx-Agate's doing.

"I'm not in the mood right now Onyx, come out here so I can talk to you." Steven said. Another spear flew his way. He caught it and sent it flying back to where it came from. "I'm serious Onyx! I really need you to stop this sparring match and come out here!" This time, it was Onyx-Agate that flew at him. He leapt into the air and found his way behind her, he grabbed her arms and fell to the floor with her, pinning her to her back.

"Woah Steven, may I ask what's in your mind that is making you so tense?" Onyx-Agate asked to the boy.

"I need you to listen, alright? No battling, I need to talk to you." He said. She nodded, indicating that it was alright to let her go, so he did. They both sat across from each other and Onyx-Agate allowed Steven to begin. "Onyx, am I doing the right thing?" He asked. The confused look on her face signaled that an elaboration was in order. "Am I on the right team? I've been wondering lately if I'm doing the best thing... maybe I should reconnect with the gems, maybe we could be a family again."

Onyx-Agate stayed as calm as possible, for if she panicked, suspicion would arise.

"Well Steven, I'll try to tell you as easily as I can: There are no sides, there is no real good or bad. Something you do that you believe is good could be perceived as bad to others who don't share in the same view. So whatever you decide to do will be what you believe is good. Let me try to persuade you however, to see how I do," Onyx-Agate said. Steven had a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

"Alright, tell me." Steven said. Onyx-Agate nodded.

"My ties with the Crystal gems run much deeper than you may know Steven. Yes, I have told you that I knew your mother, but the gems are a totally different enemy of mine. Prepare yourself, for this information I am about to reveal is going to change the way you look at them forever. Back on the home world, the gems, all except that Amethyst you have, were outlaws. You may be thinking that it was because they wanted to protect earth rather than fight it, but that would be a lie."

"Back where I come from, I was the number one most wanted in the universe, I'm not ashamed to admit that. The gems were the only ones that rivaled me for they were number two. Their crimes started small, like public rebellion against the home world leader yellow diamond, but grew into large things such as selling secrets to opposing races and destroying a planet that was well known for being, as you earthlings say, "Switzerland", in the sense that all they asked for was peace and to be left out of all wars, and they were respected for it."

Steven was a little shocked, but he continued listening.

"Eventually, their crimes began to catch up with them. While I was conquering the galaxy as the number one criminal, I was feared, so no one dared stand against me. Being number two and not having that impressive of a reputation, the gems were threatened with war less they agree to be imprisoned. You can probably imagine the outcome, the rambunctious nature of rubies, the quiet and compliant nature of sapphires, and the servant status of pearls, with one from each group making one group of one bashful alpha and the recessive others, war was what they chose. The group was banished from home world until the battle was ready to commence. That's about when your mother decided to join in. A few earth months into preparation, she set out for the band of criminals. For some reason, she saw great potential in them. She convinced them that the war didn't need to happen, that they could find refuge in a distant neutral planet and just forget the whole thing."

"That is exactly what they did. They came across earth, which at the time was frowned upon to be attacked since it was in early stages of developement. To sum it up, home world knew that by attacking earth, contracts like early claims and bids would be violated, so they hired other races who happen to be having economic troubles to do it for them. Every now and again they would hire other races because the previous had been defeated and this continued. Do you see where I'm going with this?" Steven shook his head. "It relates to what I told you before, things that are good in one's eyes could but seem that way to another. The way the earthlings saw the gems as was heroic, devoting their lives to protecting the earth. In reality, they were only looking out for themselves. If the citizens of beach city knew this, they would be thankful that they were being protected, but they would be a little more hesitant in believing them to be heroes." Onyx-Agate said.

Steven couldn't believe what he was hearing, was this true? Were the gems more evil than he thought?

"The only difference between me and them, Steven, is I don't lie about who I am. My actions have been questionable, I admit that, but it's only questionable to those who don't see things as I do. I only have good intentions for myself and my home planet, the place and people for which I fight for. What the gems have done is allow others to believe they are looking out for them when in reality, they are only looking out for the well-being of themselves."

And with that, her story was finished. Steven was left absolutely dumbfounded by this baffling tale. It sounded way too real to be made up... but then again, Onyx-Agate was quick on her feet when it came to coming up with stories.

"I'll let you process that, come back to base anytime you're ready with your answer. Either way, I'll support you entirely." Onyx-Agate stood up and walked back up the path.

"Onyx?" Steven said, Onyx-Agate stopped and turned.

"Yes Steven?" She asked. Steven took a second to word his response.

"Are you lying to me?" He asked, he honestly felt concerned. Onyx-Agate seemed to be taken aback by this. The look on her face showed that she was also carefully wording her sentence.

"Steven, this year that I've spent with you has made me feel closer to you than I do with anyone else. I realize that you and I are the same kind of people: spirited, fighters, strong, and I could never lie to myself, let alone one who reminds me of myself. As far as I'm concerned, it's just the two of us. I can't violate that trust we have between us." She said. With that, she left. There was a lot of thinking for Steven to do and a major decision to be made. Until then, he was only going to trust himself.

"_Do it for me, I love you."_ The voice echoed through his head again. He knew the voice now, he had only heard it a couple of times before.

"Don't worry mom, I won't let you down. Whatever I decide to do, I'll make sure it would make you proud." Steven said. He stood up and walked back to the base.

* * *

As Onyx-Agate walked down the path, she couldn't help but feel sickened by her statement. Not because she lied, it was quite the opposite. She meant every word, she trusted Steven more then she trusted Erendus, and he was her closest companion.

"I don't understand you Steven," She whispered to herself. "What about you makes me feel like I can't do bad to you? How are you managing to change me?" She hit a tree. Change made her feel weak and helpless, that's why she hated it. To be changed so fast by one person was physically painful.

'Remember, you have a mission to accomplish. You can't develop any further bonds with the boy." She thought to herself. She continued back down the path, hating herself and mildly hating Steven.

**Alright guys, I hope you enjoyed it. This chapter was WAAAY below my word limit, even more than usual, but I enjoyed writing it all the same. I hope that story there was believable, tell me things about it that weren't if you find a part. Make sure to review, and I'll see you next time.**


	15. weakness, panic, and vulnerability

**Wuddup guys! It's me again, I hope you like this chapter. Remember to review and whatnot. Confused about something in the story? Remember to ask about it. Enjoy. Btw, thanks to luis mendoza for making a cover for the story.**

**Weakness, panic, and vulnerability**

Onyx-Agate woke up expecting to see Steven in his bed, but what she was greeted with was the deserted, grassy patch he usually slept on. She looked around for any signs of the boy, anything to show that he hadn't abandoned her in the middle of the night. She saw that the front door was left wide open, so she got up and walked over to it to see if Steven was outside. She breathed a sigh of relief. There he was, he was doing his morning meditation. Onyx-Agate leaned against the hut's scratchy, grassy wall to watch him, her face was plastered with a serious look.

"Look at him," she thought. "He looks so carefree, and here I am full of stress and worry." Onyx-Agate looked up at the forest canopy, the sky's grayish blue color peaked through the leaves. She looked back at Steven, returning to her thoughts. 'Worry'... the word was disgusting to Onyx-Agate; it showed weakness, panic, and vulnerability. Above all, it showed compassion for someone, a feeling that should be spat at. So why was she feeling it?

She thought back to the previous night, to the moment when she realized her feelings toward Steven. He made her feel needed even though she didn't want to be, but she liked feeling needed when it was he that needed her. If she were to sum it up, she would say that she felt like a mother to Steven; she protected him, fed him, made sure he was healthy, and cared deeply for him. She felt as though she would give her own life to save his.

She shook her head violently, she couldn't help but think that way. She said it herself, she had a mission to complete; defeating the Crystal gems. She stopped her head's motion and looked back over to Steven. She loathed him, but she didn't at the same time. If nothing, he had done a good job at following her with blind trust and he had gotten much stronger than when they first encountered each other.

'Stronger..." Onyx-Agate hated thinking of how strong Steven was becoming; it reminded her that somewhere along the road, she and him were going to battle each other to the death to decide the fate of the world. She let out another sigh, this one was more concerned. She didn't see the logic behind it; She was making Steven into a finely tuned machine, teaching him new powers and strategies and her ways of thinking. Why was she doing it if she was going to have to fight him? Was she stupid? Was she looking to make a challenge for herself? Was it that she wanted Steven to have an advantage in the fight? Whatever it was, the logic still remained pointless.

She stepped away from the wall and walked over to the boy.

"Good morning Steven," Onyx-Agate said. Steven flinched a bit, he hadn't heard her approach.

"Hey Onyx," Steven said with a smile. He laid back with his legs still crossed, his head rested at the base of her toes. "Whatcha need?"

"I wanted to know what your plan was for today." She said, Steven's mouth broke into a wide grin. Confused, Onyx-Agate asked why he was smiling like that.

"I have a free day today!" He said hopping up in excitement.

"What do you mean?" Onyx-Agate asked him.

"I stayed up all night practicing transformation, and from there, I did my early morning training." Steven said. "You and I can hang out all day!"

"You practiced it all night... and your certain you've mastered it?" Onyx-Agate asked skeptically. Steven seemed certain he knew what he was saying and truly believed it, so she decided that a test would prove his statement true or false. "So you wouldn't mind showing me, would you?" She asked.

"Nope, hit me with your best shot." Steven said, his confidence was radiating.

"Alright, let's start with a cup." Onyx-Agate said. Steven stood up, he was standing with his legs spread apart. He turned his torso ever so slightly and spun the other way, and with a flash of light, he was a little blue cup. Onyx-Agate was stunned at first, but was overall impressed. "How about an animal?" Onyx-Agate said. In another flash of light, Steven changed into a rabbit, then into a bird, then into a fox. Onyx was dumbfounded, all it took was one night of being alone for him to get the hang of something that wasn't easily taught.

"Waddya think?" Steven asked her, he had changed into his original form. Though she was shocked, she couldn't let Steven know how impressed she was; she wouldn't hear the end of it from him.

"I suppose you have been working hard, so why not? You can take today off, but first thing tomorrow we'll start training, agreed?" Onyx-Agate had listed her terms and conditions and knew there was no way he would decline. He did a little cheer and hopped into the air.

"So waddya wanna do?" Steven asked excitedly.

"Me? Oh, I'm busy today. You will have to entertain yourself." Onyx-Agate said. The disappointment was apparent in Steven's face.

"What're you busy with?" Steven asked curiously.

"Well first, I have to do my meditation, then I have to go back to the cave to check in on Erendus, then I'm doing my physical training for the rest of the day." Onyx-Agate said. She was on her way to the hut where she would start her meditation as she had said she would.

Steven was left outside with thousands of possibilities to explore, but none of them seemed as appealing as hanging out with Onyx. It would be nice to find out what she liked to do for fun and to see what she could show him or tell him about, but it wasn't going to happen. His spirits hadn't wavered in the slightest however, and he was going to enjoy his day off.

Today was hotter than the usual unbearable heat that rested amongst the trees, so a swim was definitely the first thing on Steven's mind. He found a nice river a small ways away from the hut that seemed to fit his criteria; it was deep, refreshing, and it seemed clean enough. He slowly waded around the shallow parts enjoying the feeling of the water around his knees, well, around the skin tight suit on his knees.

He splashed the water up toward his face, the water wasn't cold, but it was definitely not as hot as the atmosphere, so it was cooler by comparison. It did feel good though, it seemed to be the only thing he could feel that made him think of good ol' beach city. The water ran down his forehead as memories of the ocean waves ran through his head.

Onyx promised him that the next training area they were going to was a large body of water, he secretly hoped it would be in the middle of the sea. He quickly interrupted his thoughts by jumping into the middle of the river, he imagined it would feel nice, but the suit was making sure he stayed at perfect temperature. He sighed under the water, normal feeling was hard to come by in his life.

* * *

Onyx-Agate made sure that Steven was gone before she headed out, it wasn't that she was trying to hide her location from him; she had told him exactly where she was going. She didn't want him to ask to tag along. She groaned at the thought of him excitedly asking to come with her to wherever she was going. She liked Steven, that much was true, no matter how much she didn't like it, but every now and then she needed a small break from him.

She fixed her sight in the direction of her destination and leapt toward it.

'This would be much easier if I had access to a warp pad.' She thought. It was no chore to just jump and glide to where she needed to go, her physical condition made sure it was an easy feat. She just couldn't help to think about the time in between going from point A to point B there was to do something productive, like think of ways to add to her already perfect plan, or train, or come up with new tactics and strategies.

The sun was just about in its highest point, it was maybe a couple hours away from midday, the creatures of the forest were probably under her bustling about. Whether it was getting food for their young or digging a hole, it intrigued Onyx. Each animal below her, no matter how small, seemed to have some kind of purpose, and it made her think about how she might not have a purpose.

She touched to the ground and leapt again, gaining more momentum toward her destination.

The thought of not having a purpose made her feel... lonely. The feeling was one she loathed, for, like worry, it showed signs of weakness and vulnerability, in some cases it could demonstrate panic as well. It was a bad day for her emotionally, she was feeling all of the feelings she had cut out of her life since she could remember. In simple terms, it sucked.

* * *

Steven was walking back to the hut, he eventually lost interest in not being able to feel water and left the river to find something he could maybe enjoy doing. Each step he took was followed by a small crunch, and each crunch was followed by more thoughts of leaving. It wasn't that the small twigs below him bothered him, it was just that every now and then, silence was appreciated.

"It sure is weird having a day off like this." Steven said aloud. Taking a break off of training really was strange; usually by now he'd be doing something ridiculous like a thirty mile jog followed by a ten mile sprint, but here he was strolling through a forest at his own leisure with absolutely nothing to do, nothing to occupy his mind and nothing to take up time.

The hut came into view, the small dingy structure stood out against the trees.

"Onyx, I'm home." Steven said as he walked through the doorway, he wasn't really expecting an answer and wasn't surprised when he didn't receive one. He went straight for his bed and collapsed down onto it, the scratchy, grassy surface felt like the most comfortable material to him. He rolled over on his side, he hadn't realized just how tired he was and how much sleep he had missed out on until he closed his eyes. He planned to just rest his eyes, but soon fell asleep.

* * *

Onyx was at the cave, she was monitoring both the gems and Connie. The gems were fighting a monster she had sent their way and Connie was at school doing whatever it was she was doing. Everything was going smoothly and accordingly.

"Well Erendus," She said to her pet. "All is well so far, Connie is healthy and the gems remain oblivious to Steven's absence." She received a small growl from Erendus. "Flaw? What flaw?" Onyx asked. Another growl met her ears. "Yes, it is true that Steven is starting to have doubts as to whether or not killing the gems is the right thing to do, but he won't turn on me any time soon. Plus, when we have Connie, he will have someone to stay for if not for me." Onyx said. Another growl. "Don't worry Erendus, I'll be careful." And with that, she patted her pet on the head and left, the feeling of uncertainty remained with Erendus, but he knew Onyx-Agate was smart so there wasn't much to fear.

* * *

Gliding through the air, Onyx-Agate was thinking about what Erendus had said.

'Flaw?' She thought to herself. 'There is no flaw, Onyx-Agate does not make flaws.' As much as she tried to assure herself that her plan was flawless, she couldn't help but agree that there was one flaw; her feelings for Steven. If she couldn't get over her maternal feelings for him, then nothing about her plan would go right and would certainly lead to disaster. She groaned, it was certainly an easy feat to accomplish in her mind, actually doing it, however, would be much, much harder. She would have to isolate her feelings and treat Steven as she would treat a soldier, not a friend.

She reached the hut, the sun was now at its highest point. She walked through the doorway ready to be bombarded with a very bored Steven's questions. What she saw, however, was Steven snoring away as he slept. She walked over to him and studied him, his face was relaxed and even held a small smile, his hands were outstretched at his side and his legs were laid out straight. She sighed and put his covering over him and without thinking, laid a tiny kiss on his forehead. As she was wiping her mouth, she watched Steven and realized that she couldn't just drop her feelings all at once, so for now, he would be an acquaintance.

**Alright, that's all. review and stuff**


	16. Moonlight

**My gosh, it's been a while, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Moonlight**

It was nighttime. If there was a noise outside, Connie couldn't hear it; the sound of her parents bickering at each other downstairs was creeping into her room, drowning all possibilities of hearing any other noise. From where Connie saw it, others didn't notice her parents weren't happy in their relationship. By day, they tolerated each other around friends, family, and especially Connie. At night when companions were out of the way and they thought she was fast asleep, they fought over all the things they wanted to that day and over things that had happened in the past, and Connie heard every word exchanged.

Connie sat up in her bed, she lifted her comforter off of her body followed by the blanket underneath and threw her legs over the side of the mattress. Outside, the moon was wide awake, its glow reached over the tops of the buildings and focused its light on her window. She looked towards the stars for comfort, only to receive a feeling of loneliness. Looking at the universe above only reminded her of the only person in the world who could've cheered her up at the moment: Steven.

Looking toward the door, Connie tried to decipher what it was her parents were arguing about this time. As most of their arguments went, it was about money. Connie's mom made a decent amount of money doing what she did, but it was her unemployed father who had control over it while she was gone. With nothing to do around the house, shopping sprees were quite common. Most of what the money was spent on was useless, unimportant things that didn't benefit the family in any way, so it was easy to side with her mother on that, but her father meant well; he bought what he thought her mother would be happy with.

An owl screeched outside, becoming the only audible noise outside. Connie stepped off of her bed and walked toward the window, being careful to make sure her floor didn't creak, though it wouldn't have mattered; it was highly unlikely that her parents would have heard it over the sound of their own voices. She leaned against the window sill to get a better look of what was outside. It wasn't much: buildings, the street, the street lights, and a few trees that were sprinkled throughout the town. Though it definitely seemed she was alone right now, she didn't feel as though she was. Looking out into the world, she knew that somewhere, maybe even close by, some poor kid was suffering the same fate as she was.

She settled back into her bed, though sleep was the last thing on her mind. Above her, the ceiling welcomed her eyes, although there wasn't anything much to look at, the usual white color of it turned gray in the dark. She looked over at the clock she had on the night stand. It was hard to believe that at one in the morning, her parents had been going at it for three hours. She sighed, any chance she had to get out of here she would take in a heartbeat, but her escape seemed unlikely, so maybe for now, she would have to continue putting up with it all. Maybe someday, it would end on its own.

* * *

Elsewhere, the moon taunted Steven as he lay awake and restless in his bed. The playful beam of it seemed to invoke insomnia, he'd much rather be walking around out there than trying to perform the impossible inside, so he crept out of bed and snuck out the door. Outside, the atmosphere was different; it was calmer, cooler, overall mellow. Steven looked back at the hut, making sure he didn't wake Onyx-Agate before setting off on a path. Where he was heading remained a mystery, even to him, the direction was all the knowledge he had.

The moon attracted his eye once more, it's eerie glow dispersing through the sky. The clouds, usually invisible, were made visible. The stars hidden behind had a slim chance of peaking through, and the ones that were showing were dim.

These walks of his seemed routine now to Steven. He hadn't thought about how often it happened or why he felt the need to clear his head. Once he finished up with his short travel, he went back to his bed, sleep washed over him as quickly as he blinked.

The next day came and went for Steven, as well as the day after. Two whole days had gone by in a flash with nothing to show but a little bit of new knowledge of abilities and such. A question had been nagging at him for the time since his walk, one he yearned to ask Onyx-Agate but didn't for he didn't know the correct time to ask. But those days had come and gone, it was now or never.

"H-hey Onyx," Steven said nervously, his instructor turned her head curiously to the boy, signaling him to continue with his question. "When are we going to get Connie? I mean... I understand that we're waiting for something, but what are we waiting for?" Onyx considered his question, turning it over in her mind.

"Well, I was actually waiting for you to tell me you were ready." She said turning her whole body to face him. Seven stood with his mouth agape, all this time he could've just said he was good to go? It was impossible to think, but Onyx was awaiting a response, so there was no time to think.

"Well... I'm ready." Steven said. Onyx nodded and smiled a bit.

"I think you are too." Onyx said earning a smile from Steven. "Alright then. Your mission is this; play surveillance on Connie for the time being, wait until you have information you can use to persuade her to come with us. Do you understand? You are not to make any other contact with her until then." Steven nodded to show he was clear on what she requested. She went on. "You are not to come back here without Connie. You can either set up camp elsewhere, or you could just not sleep. Either way, only return once you've reached your goal." Again, Steven nodded.

"Okay, I promise I won't come back without Connie." Steven said. "Anything else?" Steven asked.

"Yes." Onyx said. She walked over to a trunk she kept next to her rest area. She reached in and pulled out what looked like money, in fact, it WAS money. "I don't know how long you'll be gone, and seeing as you're half human, you need to eat. Don't ask how I got this Earth currency, just know that it is strictly for food." She handed over a small stack of five dollar bills. As instructed, Steven wasn't going to ask how she got it, but it was something he couldn't help think about. "There is a secret pocket on the leg of your suit." She reached out and opened the pocket in which Steven placed the money.

"Alrighty then. I'll get going." Steven said. He turned to walk out of the hut, but stopped with a hand on his shoulder.

"Please be safe Steven." Onyx said, it killed her to say, and she didn't know what kind of threat would present itself that Steven couldn't handle, but it just made her feel better with the knowledge that Steven would be safer on her account. "I won't be there to help or protect you... whatever happens out there, you're going to have to face on your own." Once more, Steven nodded and turned back to the door where he would embark on his first ever mission.

* * *

Connie once again found herself in her room, the atmosphere was a little lighter during day than it was at night, but the sun was quickly setting, and she knew full well that that meant things would soon change. As soon as her parents thought she was asleep, the arguments would commence. Money this and work that, it was going to be the same. It would always be the same. Some day, maybe they would file for divorce, Connie actually would have preferred that over the situation she was in now.

She turned to the window and looked at the sun. The sky was turning red with a dark blue presence above it, the sun itself was beginning to dip behind the buildings. Connie sighed, if not for the events that followed the loss of daylight, she would've marveled at the beauty of the sunset. For now, all she could do was get her mind off of it. She stood up from her bed and went to her bathroom to shower.

She closed and locked the door behind her, a habit that formed itself from her parents' lack of respect for her privacy. She turned on the water and waited for it to change to a good temperature, stripped off her clothes and stepped in. The hot water running on her body soothed her, washing off the day's stresses.

* * *

The journey from the jungle to Connie's house seemed like no time at all. Perhaps he was so excited that he put out a little too much energy, whatever the case, he made it in ten minutes.

He was sitting on a branch in a tree a little ways away from the house. His eyesight was trained to be equivalent you that of a hawk's, so distance wasn't an issue. He could clearly see the windows of the house, in the living room, Connie's mom was sitting on the couch, her dad was in the kitchen probably considering that her mom was yelling at the door to the mentioned area.

That wasn't what he was there for though. He looked up toward Connie's window. As he looked, he could see a door inside open, and from behind appeared Connie with a towel wrapped around herself. Steven hadn't taken notice of this, all he could focus on was her face, the face he hadn't seen in over a year. His mouth opened a bit in awe, his cheeks turned warm, she was just as beautiful as ever. His feelings for her definitely hadn't changed. As he watched her, he noticed the changes she had undergone In his absence. She was taller, her face looked more grown up, and she was... NAKED?! Connie had dropped her towel, showing Steven what else had changed in the year, but he quickly looked away, in fact, he decided that he was done observing for the night.

He hopped out of the tree, shaken by what he saw. He quickly put out of his mind the image of his best friend without her clothes and decided that he was hungry. He looked up and down the street, using his basic knowledge of the area to find the nearest cafe.

Deciding it was best to keep his identity hidden, he changed his appearance as he walked through the doors of the small place. As the bell above the door rang, the woman behind the counter looked over to see Steven, a tall man in his twenties with trimmed, dark hair that barely reached his dark green eyes. The tank top below his unzipped jacket suggested that he had come from a warmer temperature. This was of course a false look crafted by Steven, but it seemed to fool the woman.

"Hi there, what can I get you?" The woman asked as Steven approached the counter. She looked to be in her thirties, her accent suggested she was Minnesotan and her kindness seemed sincere, something rare for someone that worked the late shift. Her hair was blonde and cut to shoulder length, if she had bangs they were pushed back by her headband. Her attire was what the cafe regulated as uniform.

"Can I get one of those sandwiches there?" Steven asked her pointing to the display case behind her that held a plethora of items. Among these, only the water bottle appealed to him, so he asked for that as well. He reached into the pocket of his cargo shorts which, along with the rest of his clothes, were just his suit in disguise. They exchanged the items, currency for food. She gave him his change and he sat at the furthest table and began to eat.

'Oh my gosh.' Steven thought as he took a bite of the newly unwrapped sandwich. It was fantastic! He was used to random bugs and the rubbery feel of frog, but as he chewed through the assorted meats and cheese in soft bread, he couldn't help but think that he very much preferred city food over what was hunted. As he drank the water, he noticed the difference between freshwater from the stream and freshwater from the bottle. He sat back, marveling the simple meal before him. It was funny to him that the simplest things like a small, two dollar sandwich and a fifty cent water could bring so much joy to him. He took another heavenly bite doing all he could to savor it. It wouldn't last forever, that much was true, but for now, he was going to make sure it lasted for as long as it could.

* * *

Connie was in her pajamas, a long shirt with loose shorts. She was brushing her now dry hair, making sure to get all the knots out before she went to bed, a concept that Connie never understood. Why spend all this time grooming her hair if she was going to mess it up right after? Still, she did it. It was meditative above all else. She set down the brush and just sat there for a second, enjoying the feeling of newly groomed hair.

She reached over and flicked her light switch to the off position, causing the lights to go out. She covered herself with the blanket and turned over onto her side to face the window. The sun was still visible, but barely. It was odd; at the moment, she actually felt tired... safe... She couldn't explain why, but she wasn't going to question it. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Steven had finished his meal along with seconds. He told the woman to have a good night, and left. The sun was starting to set, his stomach was full, he needed to find a place to sleep. Literally anywhere would've worked. He wasn't tired, he just wanted to find a place to settle down so he didn't have to search for it tomorrow or sometime after that. He did settle on a spot on top of a building a little ways down from Connie's. He settled into a spot near the little wall that surrounded the roof. From here he could spot Connie when she left her house. For now though, he needed rest for surveillance tomorrow. He felt good being around Connie again, his long time friend. He couldn't wait until he could interact with her, it was all he longed for for the year they'd been apart.

* * *

Elsewhere, Onyx was sitting on her bed. She wasn't going to sleep, she only slept when Steven was there, but she needed the comfort of the soft cushion. She was worried, not about Steven's safety for she knew he could defend himself, but about Steven's absence. She knew he was loyal, but she couldn't help but think of the possibility that Steven would never return. She put the thought to the back of her mind. Of course he was coming back. For the sake of her sanith, she was confident of it.

**Alright, that's all for now. What did you think? Tell me in the reviews. Also, sorry it got a little weird... but anyways, thanks for holding out for this long. I'll try to update a little faster.**


	17. Instinct

**Yo, wuddup guys? It has been quite a while since the last chapter, but here it is, in all its glory (which isn't much)Enjoy, and remember to review.**

If not for the sounds of bustling townsfolk, Steven would have slept for an extra two hours that day. The roof wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't exactly the softest slab of concrete around.

With a swift motion, Steven sat up. He could feel that the muscles in his back were tense, a slight twist to the side set off a little twinge. It was bearable, so it wasn't anything bad, but to call it good would be a lie. The slight pain in his left shoulder told him that he slept on it weird.

At last, he stood up from his sitting position. He crept to the ledge and looked over at the people below. He wasn't worried about being caught; it was highly unlikely that someone who had places to be would take the time to look up at the tops of the buildings, and if they did, they would probably just assume he was a teenager doing dangerous things.

The sun wasn't fully awake yet, it was resting just above the horizon getting ready for it's trip across the sky. The morning breeze brought with it different scents, such as the light scent a tree had, the coffee from the cafe just a little ways down, and more importantly, the ocean. Steven felt a wave of nostalgia as the salty air passed over his face. It wasn't as strong as the air in beach city, but it was enough to make him think of his home.

Home... perhaps that wasn't the right word; home was a place that you loved and felt safe in, and as long as the Crystal Gems resided there, Steven didn't feel that it was safe. He did, however, love beach city and all of its residents, even the gems even though they were out to kill him. He understood their reasons; they were scared. It was made clear to him by Onyx, they feared the power he had and didn't understand it. He wasn't angry at them for that, he was more upset by it than anything. He wasn't going to let them take him out easily though, nor was it enough to want to kill them. When it came down to it, he was at least going to make sure they wouldn't come after him.

A loud noise interrupted his train of thought, the source of it being his stomach. He held his hand on his stomach, feeling for another growl. After a second or two, he felt another rumble and decided that it was time to get something to eat.

He hopped down to the alley, landing with a gentle thud. He stepped out onto the sidewalk disguised as a middle aged man. He was a heavy set man with broad shoulders, his gut stuck out over his pants. His hair, much like his body, was short. There were signs of balding present in the brown tuffles, as was gray. He strolled down the street perfectly content in his new form. In the eyes of everyone else, he was one of them; a person with things to do.

He came up to the green door of the cafe from the night prior, intent on getting a couple more sandwiches, some to eat for breakfast, some to take for the road. The woman behind the counter was different from the other one. She was taller, had long brown hair that she hid under a cap, and was around seventeen or so. Her attitude was also something noticeably different, all it took was a simple 'good morning' to make her give him a death glare.

He wasted no time with formalities or exchanging talk about the weather, he asked for six sandwiches, gave her the money, and he was on his merry little way.

He stepped back out onto the street with one sandwich already unwrapped. He started back to Connie's building, chewing on a bite from the delicacy in his hand, a little bit of ham had found its way into the bushy mustache on his lip.

The flavor of the sandwich was just as good as last night, but he felt that the magic of it would soon wear thin, so he wasn't going to eat any more than that one for the time being. He tossed the plastic wrapping into a nearby waist basket and continued on.

The sun was now brighter and a little higher, the day seemed more like day and the faces Steven saw were new. Hopefully he didn't miss Connie leave or something, it would be embarrassing if he already messed up on his one objective. If Connie _had_ already left, he would sadly have to blame himself, or maybe even the sandwiches he carried in his seemingly bottomless pocket, but nothing that pure or delicious could cause any trouble, so that only left the former to blame.

* * *

The light of the new day shined gleefully into Connie's room, flooding the space with a warm glow. In that moment, Connie regretted leaving the curtains open. She sat up woefully, representing the exact opposite of the cheerful, excited nature of the light that so bothered her.

Her hair was in disarray, her eyes were halfway closed and a dry trail of drool was present on her face. With her thick tangles blocking her vision, she made her way to the bathroom to try to tame the beast that sat upon her head.

It took a couple of stumbles, but eventually the door to the bathroom was found and she was inside washing her face. She splashed the freezing water onto her forehead, spreading it and allowing it to trickle down to her chin before patting it dry with a towel. She looked into the mirror, now awakened by the water. Her next quest was brushing her hair. She looked down at her brush, then at her hair in the mirror. It would be a struggle, but it was possible.

* * *

Steven was relieved to find that Connie had not left, but had just woken up. He wiped a paw on his fuzzy forehead, sighing a breath of relief. He shimmied across the nearest branch, his bushy trail following suit. As he reached the middle, he transformed from his squirrel form into that of a small boy with curly red hair, basketball shorts, and a plain blue t-shirt. He hopped out of the tree and landing on his feet on the sidewalk below. This was only a temporary form, he just needed a cover to get to the alleyway so he could get back to the roof.

Once in the cover of the shadows, he changed back to his original form. From here, he wasn't sure what to do, he could go to the roof and just wait for Connie to leave somewhere, but what would he do until then? He could wander the streets, but there was the possibility of missing her departure, plus he would be just as bored out there.

He looked at the wall on his left, a hard surface covered by harder material, though right now it looked comforting. He leaned against it and slid down slowly to a sitting position, the weight of his suit pulled him down easily. Looking around, he realized how alone he was and how much he longed for a friend, someone to talk to and to entertain him.

Looking straight ahead, he mulled over a question; why couldn't he just talk to Connie? He wanted nothing more just then, especially then now that she was only a floor and a wall above him. He thought back to Onyx's instructions, she had made it perfectly clear that he wasn't to make any form of communication with her until he found a way to make her come with him back to the hideout.

Onyx...Steven looked in the direction of the hut, the woman now on his mind. He wondered what she was up to, was she happy he was gone? Sad? Did she worry about him? All of these questions would go unanswered for Steven, the answer would possibly present itself some time later.

All of these emotions made him feel confused, but not so at the same time. That was the most confusing part, being confused whilst not being confused. Confusion confused the boy, but there was no emotion he was feeling that couldn't be fixed with another sandwich.

* * *

Connie had her day planned out. To start her day was of course breakfast. She was thinking oatmeal with strawberries, a combination she had liked from a small age. Then she had a few things to do in town; run to the library to renew a book, check out the sequel to the book at said library, read the book...

It was only now that Connie realized the one thing she wanted to do today; have fun with a friend. It didn't even have to be Steven, if she could walk outside and go off somewhere with anyone her age, that would be considered a victory. But the chances of her making a friend were slim to none.

It wasn't that she didn't believe she couldn't, it was more that she knew she couldn't. Why did she have to be so awkward all the time? Socializing just wasn't her strongest ability, and she was jealous of whoever could do it. But whatever, it was something she could live with.

She opened her door, downstairs was the kitchen lying in wait for someone to use it. The trouble was, what would she make in it? Oatmeal? It was healthy, but it was disgusting. Waffles? They took too long to prepare. Cereal? She checked the cupboard, and sadly, they were out. She decided maybe it would be best to go out for breakfast, nothing in her own home really caught her eye.

* * *

Outside, Steven had been watching. He bit into his sandwich, mulling over what Connie might be thinking. He was good at reading lips, it was a real shame that Connie decided that in the sanctity of her room, she didn't have the need to talk to herself. It was fine though, it was easy to tell based on her body language that she was uncomfortable about something.

Whatever it was, it didn't get her down for too long. She was up and out the door minutes after, and Steven was following. He took on a makeshift form, an average sized man with a bucket hat and a Hawaiian shirt. As she walked, he followed at a safe distance.

'Where is she going?' Steven pondered the question in his head, he hadn't seen Connie in forever, her places of interest were a mystery to him. He didn't know too much about the town either, so he was relying on Connie to know where she was going.

He looked at her, well, the back of her. Her long hair, her comfortable clothing, she looked content, but he knew she wasn't feeling that way. Her tell was how she walked. Every step looked forced, like she was sincerely trying to walk in a way that would be accepted by others. She needed a friend, someone who could be there for her like he couldn't be, he was tempted right now to break his rule and run up to her, hug her, exchange a word with her. Was that too much to ask? Not in his opinion. To him, he should've been granted that.

Connie suddenly took a right into a small building, a restaurant of sorts. It was too large to be a cafe, too small to be a restaurant. He looked into the place through a window, it was charming. There was little space, but no one seemed to mind, they all kept to their own conversations. He walked in and was immediately greeted by the girls working behind the counter, they all were a little over thirty, and most had blonde hair. Behind them was one lone teenager cleaning the counter. She, like them, had shimmering blonde hair, but she wore it up in a ponytail.

All the girls started talking to him at once, it was an onslaught of voices, and he couldn't take it. He saw the teenage girl beckoning him over, so he walked over.

"Hi, sorry, my aunts can be a little overwhelming." She said to Steven. "Table for one?" Steven looked over at all the girls as they swarmed another customer and nodded. The girl grabbed a menu and walked him to his table, he sat down and surveyed the place for Connie, and within seconds found her. She was alone at a table looking at a menu. He didn't think it was possible to look so disconnected from society, but she proved him wrong.

A glass of water was placed gently in front of him, he looked first at the glass, then to the face of the girl who had lead him to his table.

"Something to hold you over till you order" She said with a smile, and walked away. She sure was pretty, but that wasn't the thing to think about right now.

He looked over at Connie, who, at that exact moment turned her head. She saw him looking, they locked eyes, and Steven started to freak out. He grabbed his menu and opened it, burying his face between the pictures in the pages. He looked over the brim of the menu, she wasn't looking anymore thankfully, but still, he had raised suspicion. He decided he didn't want to be this close to her at the moment and stood, walking out of the establishment. He thanked the girl on his way out and assured her that he didn't want anything to eat. Outside, he saw the coast was clear and changed form, he didn't want Connie recognizing him as the guy who was staring at her.

He stood waiting, leaning against a tree outside, his new form seemed to fool the people on the streets. He was posing as a boy with short black hair, glasses, gray shirt, sweat pants and sandals. He didn't know why this form seemed so appealing, perhaps he was thinking about how he wanted Connie to have a friend, someone to talk to. Perhaps if he was to be caught in this form, he could talk to Connie and become that person. The door opened with a little chime, and out walked Connie.

* * *

Onyx was sitting and thinking, and thinking and sitting. Thinking about what exactly? She had no idea. Mainly, her thoughts were on Steven. Why was she worried about him? He could handle himself. If anything were to happen, he could face it and beat the odds, but then again, what if he couldn't? What if there was something he couldn't handle? What if the gems showed up and stole him from her?

She clenched... Why had she used the word 'stole'? Was Steven that important to her, so involved in her life that going back with them would cause some hole in her life that none could ever fill? Why was it that she didn't want anyone else to have his attention but her, why did she feel that he made her feel important?

A lot of questions coursed through her mind, but no answers followed. It was Steven's fault. But Steven could never be at fault in her eyes.

She let out a groan, one long groan that seemed to get her frustration out. She stood and looked at the sun. In about a week's time, she expected that he would be back, otherwise, she'd go collect Connie much as Steven was on her mind, she needed to focus on what was important. The mission at hand, which, as always, includes battling with Steven, one on one, to the death.

* * *

Connie had stepped out onto the sidewalk and Steven panicked. His plan to befriend her as a kid her age was quickly destroyed when he turned into a ladybug. What could be have done? Talked to her? That would be insane. So he decided the next best thing was to abandon all plans and follow his instinct.

She turned and walked, where was she headed now? Steven the ladybug was going to find out. He got to a rooftop and changed to his regular self, following by jumping from building to building. As he pursued Connie, he couldn't help but wonder how suspicious it might look to the common eye that a teen was doing something like this, but he wasn't too worried about being seen.

Connie was only walking, so Steven took it upon himself to get a little bit of a headstart, just enough so he could chill and watch for her next move. He went a few rooftops away, and halted. He looked back to the street and looked for her, but she had vanished. He face palmed, what a stupid idea it was, trying to get a head start. He made his way to the sidewalk and began his search for her, but he still couldn't see where she could've gone. He looked in the windows of shops, looked down alleys, checked down streets, she was no where to be seen. Steven began to feel worried, where could she have gone?

**That's it, that's all you get. I'm sorry it took forever, thanks for hanging in there guys. Hope you liked it, I'll see you next time.**


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